Meetings
by TAYLORandTOBYfreak88
Summary: What if Charlie had been divorced not once, but twice? What if Bella knew she had a sister, but had never met her? What if Bella’s sister knew about her, but never met her either? What would happen if they met, but didn’t know it? How would they react
1. Prologue

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own

What if Charlie had been divorced not once, but twice? What if Bella knew she had a sister, but had never met her? What if Bella's sister knew about her, but never met her either? What would happen if they met, but didn't know it? How would they react when they meet for the supposed first time?

Prologue

I sat on the plane, earbuds in my ears and music blasting from my iPod. Watching the stewardess approach me, I turned the volume down and took one earbud out. The woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, pushed the concession cart down the aisle toward me. She stopped beside my seat and looked down at me with pale grey eyes.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she questioned. I looked at her and smiled politely; after all, I'd been raised to be a polite young lady. "A glass of water, please." I answered. I watched as she grabbed a glass and picked up the pitcher in front of her. She poured my drink and set it on the try that was folded down in front of me. She smiled politely and then began pushing the cart again.

I put the earbud back in my ear and turned the volume up once more. Turning my attention back to what I'd been doing previously, I typed away on my laptop that was sitting on top of the folded down tray. I was emailing my mother, telling her that I'd be landing in Port Angeles in less than two hours. I'd left New Orleans last night at six o'clock and it was already going on noon, according to my watch. A part of me was excited to be going to Forks; but another part of me was dreading it. I was excited because I hadn't seen my father, Charlie, in nearly two years; I had been away in France as part of a student exchange program. And I was dreading it because Forks wasn't known for its sunshine factor; instead it was gloomier than anything.

My mother and I had been living in New Orleans since I was two years old. She and dad had divorced after three years of being married; and dad had moved to Forks after the divorce. Mom had remarried when I was eight. I knew that dad had been upset after they separated, but to help him through the transition, I started spending two weeks there every summer. Of course I wasn't the only one visiting him during the summer; my older sister by three years, Bella, visited him every summer two weeks before I was supposed to. It was funny to me that I knew about Bella, but I had never really met her; not even when I went to Charlie's for summer vacation. Maybe she still visited him every summer, and maybe I'd be able to meet her for the first time. One could only hope…

After what seemed like forever, the pilot announced that we were arriving in Port Angeles International Airport. As we landed on the tarmac and passengers began unfastening their belts, I began to feel giddy. I hoped that my father had received my phone calls, letting him know when to pick me up. I grabbed my messenger bag from around my feet, and got out of my seat. I followed the passengers in a single line down the aisle and soon I was standing inside the airport building. Glancing at my cell phone, I realized that I had a voicemail waiting for me. I called my voicemail, putting in my passcode and listening.

"Cristalyn, its dad. Listen, I'll be a couple minutes late getting to the airport. But I swear I'll be there to get you. Wait outside for me and if anyone approaches you, go inside and look out the window for me." I laughed quietly at the message he left and then erased it. I pocketed my phone in my right rear jean pocket and looked around.

I saw an escalator going down and I began walking toward it. I watched as a group of six teenagers walked in front of me, laughing and joking about something. They were all very beautiful as I caught a couple of their facial features. They began to slow their walk as they joked and talked.

"I think Esme will be glad to have us all home. We've been gone for a good couple of weeks." A boy with dark, curly hair and a giant build that would make any body-builder jealous, commented. The others nodded their heads in agreement and made their way to the escalator in front of us. As I kept a good distance behind them, someone knocked into me, making my bag slip off of my shoulder and me fall to the ground.

I turned my attention to the person who ran into me, and who was currently trying to grab my bag and run off with it. "Hey! Let go of my bag!" I exclaimed. The man who had a grip on my bag continued to play tug of war with me to get me to let go. The group of six stopped walking and turned to see what was happening behind them. As I continued to try and wrestle my bag from the man, the three males of the group came over. The massive sized one clamped his glove-covered hand on the man's wrist. The man looked at him.

"Don't you know it's not nice to purse snatch?" he asked, giving a good squeeze to the man's wrist. The man let out an agonized cry and released my bag strap. The other two males helped me to my feet, and I noticed they were all wearing gloves. Security came over to us moments later, asking if there was a problem. The three females came over to us and all six told the security guards what had happened. The man was immediately dragged off, while the cops were being called. They all looked at me as I pushed a large strand of my auburn hair behind my ear and readjusted my bag over my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" the teen with honey-blonde hair asked in a southern drawl, as the others looked me over. I nodded my head.

The blonde femme fatale who moved to stand beside the bear of a male sighed quite audibly. "We should leave. Esme and Carlisle are expecting us back at any moment." She told them. They all agreed with her immediately. They seemed to ignore the fact that I was standing with them as they began a quiet conversation.

I pulled out my cell phone and looked at the time. Nearly ten minutes had passed since the previous incident. "Thank you very much." I bowed, part of my Asian stepfather's upbringing. It got their attention and they all turned to look at me. "I've got to be going myself; my father is waiting for me. But thank you very much once again!" I bowed again and turned and made a mad dash for the escalator. I felt their eyes on me as I descended toward the first floor. Once I got onto the first floor, I saw a familiar police uniform coming toward me.

"Dad!" I ran like crazy toward him, catching his attention. He opened his arms and I ran right into them. "I missed you so much! Sorry about you coming inside, I just got caught up for a moment."

He smiled at me and shrugged his shoulder. "No big deal," he spoke. "As soon as I walked in, some of the security guards asked me if I could bring some guy to the police station. Apparently he tried mugging someone, and got caught in the process."

"That's why I was caught up! It was me that the guy tried mugging! He tried to take off with my bag right here!" he shook his head and chuckled. He led me to luggage retrieval to get my luggage. As we were exiting the airport, I saw the same six teenagers who had helped me heading to luggage retrieval. I smiled and followed my father outside and to his police cruiser. After my bags were safe inside the trunk, we rode to Forks and to the police station. Charlie dropped the guy off inside, briefly explaining what had happened and then we left.

I sighed as we pulled into the driveway and looked at the house; it still looked the same. I got out of the passenger side and followed Charlie inside and upstairs. Bella and I had to share a room since we both spent summers here, and it looked like the room hadn't been used in quite some time. I set my messenger bag on the desk near the door as dad set my things on the bed. I smiled at the look of the room, and then remembered the un-used look it had.

Turning to Charlie, I asked him the question: "So, did Bella already visit you this summer?" he turned and looked at me as if I'd sprouted a new head. After a couple of moments, he laughed.

"Lyn, Bella hasn't stayed the night over here in almost three years." He answered honestly. I knew I had a bewildered look on my face, because he continued his explanation. "Bella got married about three years ago. She comes and visits from time to time, but she never stays the night. She's got a family now, you know."

I wondered how I had not kept in touch with him when all of this was going on. So my sister was married and had a family now. Huh. So much for wanting to meet her; she probably had kids, and they probably took up most of her time now. Oh well, I guess I'd have to endure. After a couple of minutes, Charlie turned and walked out of the room. I looked around, and then my gaze settled on my suitcases. I walked over to them and began to pull the clothes and toiletries out of them. I put the clothes away in the dresser that was against the other wall and opened the closet, which had empty hangers. I hung my casual clothes up and walked to the desk, pulling my laptop out of my bag and setting it up.

I used my wireless access card and surfed the internet for a while and then shut the top of my computer. I got to my feet and walked downstairs, looking for my dad. I found him settled in front of the giant flatscreen TV with an old man in a wheelchair. The floorboards creaked as I stood in the doorway of the living room, making them both turn and look. Dad smiled as I stood there, and the old man nodded at me politely. I waved in greeting and turned to Charlie, who stood up and walked over to me.

"Cristalyn, you remember Billy Black. Right?" I nodded and shook hands with Billy.

"Of course. I remember Jacob, too." I spoke. "Is he here, too?" I asked, looking around the living room.

Charlie and Billy shared an odd look and then looked back at me. "No. He's hanging around with a different crowd these days." Billy spoke, making dad snort. "I think he should be paying me a visit sometime soon. I'll tell him that you're looking for him." he and dad chuckled over that one.

I cringed. "Please, don't do that. He shoved me into a mud puddle when we were little, and he obviously dislikes me for some strange reason. He never told me why he doesn't at least try to be friends with me." I shrugged my shoulders in passing.

"We're just gonna be watching the game tonight, Lyn. Hope you don't mind." I shook my head and turned around, walking into the kitchen. I walked over to the fridge and opened it up; apparently he'd made sure to do groceries before I arrived. I grabbed the cold cuts, bread, and mayo and walked to the counter. I assembled the sandwiches, making some for dad and Billy. I grabbed a bag of chips from the cupboard and put some on my plate and then the rest in a bowl. I carried the bowl and the plate of sandwiches out to the two men, who thanked me gratuitously.

I entered the kitchen, grabbing my plate and a can of Sprite from the counter near the fridge. I walked back upstairs to my bedroom, shutting my door behind me with a silent click. I set my food on the desk and began to sit down. I ate in silence, looking out my window into the darkness. After I was finished eating I took my dishes down to the kitchen, grabbing the plate and bowl from the living room, and going into the kitchen and washing those dishes.

I entered the bathroom and brushed my teeth and went into my room, changing into my PJs. I got into bed, thinking of the people that had helped me in the airport. I remembered that they'd all been wearing gloves; it hadn't been that cold that they needed them. It was definitely very odd, but as I lay there thinking of them, I fell quickly to sleep.

My first week in Forks seemed to pass by quickly. Billy hadn't been joking when he'd said that he'd tell his son that I was looking for him. Jacob had come over the next day, and picked on me. He'd told me that he hoped I didn't last a week in Forks and then turned and left.

Ever since the summer when I was eight and Charlie took me with him to go fishing, Jacob Black and I had never gotten along. We had stayed on the rocks near the river where Charlie, Billy, and Harry Clearwater had fished. The conversation had started off politely enough, talking about kid things; school, friends, favorite cartoons. But somehow, something I said must have offended him or something; because he pushed me face first into a mud puddle we'd been making together. He'd said something about liking Bella better than me and then run off to look at tadpoles in a tiny pool; and I had cried.

I shook myself from that memory as I continued to fold the clothes I'd gotten out of the dryer. Since dad was at work, I was making myself usual around the house once more. Since I'd woken up this morning I'd made breakfast, done dishes, washed clothes (both mine and his), cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, and tidied up the living room. It seemed like I was forcing myself to keep busy, that way I wouldn't get bored so soon. The phone began ringing and I set the folded shirt I was holding in the laundry basket. I made my way into the kitchen and picked up the phone on the wall.

"Swan residence." I answered. I heard an exaltation of breath and waited.

A purely feminine voice spoke to me. "Is Charlie there?"

"I'm sorry. He's at work right now. Can I take a message?" I grabbed the pad and pen that I'd set on the counter.

The person on the other line cleared their throat. "Um… sure you can. But first… did Charlie hire someone to take care of his house while he's gone?"

"Actually no, he didn't." I laughed. I held the pen at the ready. "What can I put down as the message?"

The person on the other line laughed, too. "Um… Just tell him that Bella called, please. Thank you, goodbye." I scribbled the note down on the pad and hung up the phone. Well, my sister was trying to contact dad; so that had to be a good sign. Maybe she wanted to come visit. I set the pad down on the counter and capped the pen, setting it on top of the pad. I returned to the living room to finish folding clothes, and to occupy myself until Charlie got home.

**Thank you for reading. This is my first Twilight fic. Please let me know what you think of this fanfic and if I should keep going with it. Reviews are welcome!**


	2. Chapter 1

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

What if Charlie had been divorced not once, but twice? What if Bella knew she had a sister, but had never met her? What if Bella's sister knew about her, but never met her either? How would they react when they meet for the supposed first time?

Chapter 1

Once dad got home from work and we were sitting at the table for dinner, I gave him the piece of notepad that had Bella's message on it. He set the paper down next to his plate and quietly thanked me. The rest of dinner was that way, too; just filled with idle chatter and questions about each other's day. When dinner was over, Charlie went to watch TV and I worked on doing the dishes.

When I was finished with the dishes I went upstairs and grabbed my PJs. I walked into the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower. I let the water heat to my liking and then stripped my clothes off. I got into the shower, letting the heat from the water work out the tension from my muscles. I rinsed the soap from my body, and grabbed my bottle of ocean breeze-scented shampoo. I lathered my hair up with the shampoo and rinsed it out, following suit with the same scented conditioner.

After I was finished, I got out and wrapped my towel around me. I went to the mirror and brushed my teeth. As I opened the door and began to walk out into the hallway, I heard dad talking. I crept quietly to the top of the stairs, making sure that I wouldn't be seen.

"Of course I'd love for you to visit, Bells. It's just... your sister is here right now. I don't know if you should visit right now." I saw a confused look pass over his face. "It's not that, Bells. Maybe… maybe I can send her out sometime tomorrow afternoon. Then you can come over…" he paused once more. I stood there, wondering why he wouldn't want me to meet her. "All right. I'll tell her tomorrow morning that I need her to run into town for some fishing lures. Yea, that's fine. I don't mind seeing the others, since I haven't seen them in so long."

I listened to him say his goodbyes and I turned and rushed to my bedroom. I shut the door behind me and leaned against it. _Why can't I meet her? She's my sister!_ I thought. I went over to my bed and dried off. I got dressed and went over to my computer, disconnecting it from the power cord and took it over to the bed. I sat down and connected to the internet, bringing up my email and sending an email to my mom; telling her about everything that had happened since I'd arrived. I signed out of my email and took my computer back to the desk and plugged it back into the power cord. I shut the lid and went back over to my bed, sat on the edge and opened the window, letting the humid night air in.

A knock sounded on the door and I heard Charlie ask if he could come in. "Come on in." I called. The door opened and he walked in, stopping right in the door jam. I turned from looking out the window and saw the "what are you doing?" look on his face. "Sorry. I just wanted to get a bit of fresh air. Did you need something?"

I watched him as he looked down at the floor and then back at me. "Tomorrow I was wondering if you could… run into town and pick me up some fishing lures. I haven't been fishing in a while and I'd like to go the next day I'm off." If I had known he wasn't trying to get me away from the house while my sister visited, I would have totally bought that excuse. I nodded my head and watched as he smiled at me. "Thanks, Lyn. All right, well, I'm gonna turn in for the night. Good night."

"Good night." Charlie turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I sat on my bed, thinking over all the reasons why he could possibly not want me to meet my sister. Was I not good enough to meet her or something? I shook my head to dispel the way I was thinking and closed the open window. I reached over, shutting the lamp on the bedside table off and setting the alarm clock, and then crawled into bed. As I laid in the darkness, I fell asleep quickly and dreamt of the day when I would get to meet her for myself.

The alarm went off at seven o'clock, waking me from my dreams. I got to my feet and walked over to the closet. I pulled a green v-neck t-shirt off of a hangar and a pair of tan khaki's off of another. I shut the door to the closet and walked over to my bed, setting the clothes down. I went to the dresser and grabbed a pair of socks out of them, and snatched my pair of tennis shoes from beside the dresser. I walked over to the bed and began to undress, changing into the outfit I'd picked out. I put my socks and tennis shoes on and went downstairs, looking into the kitchen looking for Charlie. Not seeing him, I grabbed a set of keys off of the counter and snuck out of the house. If dad wanted fishing lures, I'd get them; first thing in the morning when the store opened, and when my sister came… I'd be able to meet her.

I got into the rusted Chevy truck and started it up. I put the car in reverse and pulled out of the driveway. I drove into town to Newton's Outdoor Sports Store and went inside, beginning my search for fishing lures. After some help from the female store clerk, I got what Charlie wanted and paid for them. After acquiring what I came for, I returned to the truck and drove back home.

When I got home there were three cars besides Charlie's cruiser; a Volvo, a jeep, and a Mercedes. I parked across the street, that way the guests would have space to pull out when they left. I got out of the truck and walked up to the house and entered through the back door (which I'm guessing Charlie added sometime after Bella moved out), and into the kitchen.

"Dad!" I called out. "I'm home! I got the fishing lures like you wanted!" I put the lures on the counter and began walking toward the hallway. I heard some shuffling around in the living room as I walked in there. I was stunned to find that the teenagers from the airport were sitting in the room with him, as were two other people.

Charlie looked over at me from where he sat with one of the females; I recognized her from the airport. "Lyn… I thought you'd be longer." I stood there thinking to myself that this was a bad idea.

"Um… Well, the cashier made a suggestion when I told her I was looking for fishing lures. I've been gone for almost an hour and a half." I explained. Turning around, I began walking toward the stairs. "I'll just be up in my room… if you need me." I began to ascend the stairs, and a quiet voice stopped me while I was entering the bedroom. I turned around and found the girl who was sitting next to dad standing at the top of the stairs.

She looked beautiful; pale skin, brown eyes, and bouncy brown locks that went halfway down her back. "Um… wait! Why don't you join us? It's not a problem that you came home too early. I was actually hoping I could meet you…" she spoke in a velvet voice. It took me a moment to put together what she was talking about. "You're… Bella?" I asked in a small voice. She nodded her head and I felt my stomach do a flip.

"Yes, I'm Bella. I've wanted to meet you for a while, but Charlie wouldn't let me. I'm glad that you just showed up out of the blue." She admitted. I smiled and felt my cheeks flush with color. She took my hand and led me back to the living room. I followed behind her as she sat me down next to her on the couch with Charlie. I looked around at all the other people in the room and then at the floor.

Charlie cleared his throat, gaining my attention. "Lyn, these are the Cullens." All of them nodded at me politely and I smiled. Charlie motioned to the two people I hadn't recognized, "These are Carlisle and Esme." They said quiet hellos and I nodded.

He motioned to the male with the curly hair and strong build, and the blonde who I'd thought of as a femme fatale. "Those are Emmett and Rose." The three of us exchanged quick glances and a nod. He kept going with the honey-haired blonde male and the small pixie-like girl. "Alice and Jasper," he acknowledged. The last male was the bronze-haired boy who had helped me to my feet. "And Edward." Edward said hello and I replied likewise.

"And, of course, I'm Bella." My sister introduced, laughing a little. I laughed and soon they began talking about whatever they'd been talking about. I excused myself from the room and went into the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with water.

Meeting my sister was not how I'd dreamt it would be. Since I'd been sitting next to her on the couch, I'd been feeling a bit self-conscious; all of the Cullens were extremely beautiful and I wondered how they had obtained their beauty. Obviously, they had been talking about something completely different when I walked inside, and they had just changed the topic since I was in the room with them. I downed my glass of water and went upstairs and into my room. I closed the door and went to the desk drawer and pulled out a book of poems by Robert Frost. I opened the closet door and found the quilt that had been laying there when I went through it for the first time.

Hearing a knock on my window, I went toward it. I pulled the curtains back and screamed, seeing a hideous face in one of the panes. I fell backwards, losing my balance, and hit my head on the corner of the desk. The person in the window began laughing and tried opening the square. It felt like seconds until there was a whole group of people in the room, and Bella was opening the window for the laughing form of Jacob Black.

Charlie came over to me, taking in me rubbing my head. Carlisle came over to us as Charlie helped me to my feet. I glared at Jacob the entire time Carlisle, who Charlie told me was a doctor, looked at the back of my head that had collided with the desk. "You should be fine. You might want to put some ice there, to reduce the chances of swelling." I nodded my head as everyone was talking to Jacob. The talking stopped soon enough and they all looked at me to see if I was okay. Jacob began laughing again, and I glared murderously at him. Everyone turned and began to leave the room.

"What's so funny!? You made me hit my head!" that only seemed to fuel his laughter. Getting angrier than I already was, I marched over to him and shoved him. After I shoved him, I realized that he hadn't moved an inch. He had a shit-eating grin on his face and I felt my face grow hot. _Argh! I hate him!_ I thought to myself.

I grabbed my book of Robert Frost poems and the quilt from the closet, and maneuvered my way through all the bodies in the room. As I was leaving the room, I threw a threat at Jacob. "If I were you, I would think twice before I tried something like that again!"

I stormed out of the house and into the woods behind it. I stuck my book at the top of my pants and fanned the blanket out. After I got the quilt situated, I grabbed my book out of my pants and laid down on my stomach. I opened my book and began to read the first poem when I heard a branch snap from somewhere in front of me. My head snapped up as my eyes roamed around the small clearing. "Is somebody there?" I questioned. I got up on my knees and looked around the clearing, wondering what was in here with me. "Jacob, if that's you, knock it off!"

Another branch snapped, this time coming from somewhere off to my left. I let go of my book, letting it close, and got to my feet. I walked in the direction that I heard the branch snap, and pushed past the trees that were blocking my path. The trees in front of me blocked my view of whatever was in here with me. I kept walking further into the forest, ignoring the fact that I was probably going to end up lost. I heard was sounded like footsteps as I kept going further, and I followed the sound.

_Is somebody hiking through here or what!?_ I thought. As I kept walking, I was unaware that the footsteps had stopped. I kept walking, looking around, trying to see if anyone was around me. I stopped in front of a tree that had fallen over, knocking over other some other trees and creating a mini clearing. I put my hand on the tree and looked around; this seemed the perfect place for whatever it was to either show itself… or attack. As I looked around, all I could see was a vast amount of trees and dirt.

Thinking that maybe I had been overreacting, I turned around and began walking back to where my book and the quilt were. I guess being outside in a clearing by myself, my mind was kicking into overdrive. I made sure that I paid attention to everything in front of me as I kept walking. I didn't want to trip over anything. It took me longer to get back to the clearing, since I kept looking over my shoulder. I was making myself majorly paranoid.

When I got back into the clearing, Jacob was sitting on my quilt, looking through my book of poems. I walked over to him, stopping near the edge of the quilt, and crossed my arms. "Is there a particular reason why you're on my quilt and looking through my book?" He looked up at me, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

"You know, I'll give you credit. You lasted a week! Are you going home after this next week, though?"

I looked at him, wondering why he'd want to know something like that. "No, I'm not." I answered. "I graduated early, and I'm taking a year's sabbatical from school. I decided that I wanted to visit with dad for a while. I haven't come to Forks in over two years, because I was overseas in France. Student exchange program." I explained, keeping my stance.

Jacob scrutinized me intently. "Well… I guess… I'm kind of sorry." He apologized. My mouth dropped open in shock. Jacob Black was apologizing to me!? Did hell just freeze over? "And I guess I'm sorry that I've been mean to you. Especially with the mud puddle!" I pursed my lips together and turned and walked out of the clearing, seeing Bella and the group of teenagers coming toward us. I heard Jacob following behind me, catching up to me in three quick strides.

Bella saw my expression and looked at Jacob. "Jake, what did you do!? If you did anything, so help me…" Jacob cut her off.

"Relax, Bella! I was just apologizing to her!"

All of the Cullen teens looked at me and saw my expression. "Doesn't look that way to us, Jake! It looks like you insulted her or something." Bella stated.

"I swear, Bells! I just apologized to her for picking on her… and pushing her in a mud puddle…" he cut off with a smirk on his face. I spun around to face him, angry once more.

"You pushed her in a mud puddle!? Jake, how…"

"When we were eight he pushed me in a mud puddle." I interrupted her. "I was visiting dad the summer when I was eight. Dad went fishing with Billy and Harry, leaving me near the edge of the river with Jacob. We were talking and for no reason, he pushed me into the mud puddle that we'd been making together." I glared at Jacob and ended the story. I didn't think that she needed to know that Jacob had said that he liked her more than me.

"And so I apologized for that, too. I thought that sine she's staying in Forks for a little while longer… I'd try and get on good terms with her." Jacob told Bella.

I thought to myself for a couple moments as I turned around. "Fine, apology accepted. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go to my room." I began walking toward the house, hearing the faint sounds of their voices talking to one another. I wondered what they were talking about, but kept myself going until I was through the kitchen door and in the hallway.

I made my way to my room and shut the door behind me. I went over to my still open window and closed it. I sat down on the bed and looked around the room, feeling tired and overwhelmed; that was when I noticed the small blue book sticking out from underneath a corner of the desk. I got to my feet and walked over to the desk, kneeling down and grabbing the book. There was a weird Indian design on the cover, but I didn't really care. I opened a drawer of the desk and slid the book inside; I'd read it later if I got bored.

I heard a knock on my door and I called for the person to enter. Bella walked in, closing the door behind you. "Hey." She greeted. I smiled and she walked over to the desk chair, sitting down in it. "Jacob told us what else happened that day." When I didn't answer she kept going. "He admitted to us that he told you he liked me more than you." My mouth dropped open and I couldn't think of anything to say to her.

"I'm not… jealous!" I choked out. "I never thought of Jacob like that anyway." She laughed and had me laughing not long after. Soon we were asking each other questions; what kind of books did we read, what subjects we liked in school. We must have been in my room for hours talking because the pixie-like girl came upstairs telling Bella it was time to go.

The girl, who Bella reminded me was named Alice, stood in the doorway while Bella grabbed her sweater and put it on. She looked at Alice and walked toward her, stopping at the door. "One more question before I go. Who is your favorite music artist?"

I thought to myself, thinking through all the artists that I liked; but only one was my favorite. "I'd have to go with Debussy." I told her. "I love his music, it's so heartfelt. Clair de Lune is my favorite track, though." She smiled and nodded her head, "He's one of mine, too. I agree, Clair de Lune is a wonderful track. See you sometime soon. Bye." I watched as she turned, smiled at Alice, and walked out. Alice smiled at me and said goodbye, then shut the door behind her.

I sat there thinking about everything that had happened in the span of one day. I'd gotten Charlie's fishing lures, met my sister and her new family, gotten picked on by Jacob Black, traipsed through the forest behind the house, gotten apologized to by Jacob, and had a heart-to-heart conversation with my sister who I'd only known for thirteen hours. I looked out my bedroom window and saw the three cars pulling out and speeding off down the road. Now that my sister knew about me, and we'd met… I felt like I was completely whole now. I was beginning to like Forks a whole lot more now.

**A lot has happened for Cristalyn in one day! But what's lurking in the forest behind the house? I'd love to hear what you guys think about what should be in forest? Is it a nomad vampire, a fellow pack mate of Jacob's or something else? Reviews are welcome!**


	3. Chapter 2

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Thank you to: All The Pretty Horses, evwannaB3, The Evil Oreo, and XUsAgIxXkIX for your reviews thus far! I loved your suggestion, All The Pretty Horses; I was thinking something along that line and that's why I wanted to get the readers' feedback! I'm happy to know that someone had an idea similar to mine!

Cristalyn and Bella have finally met! They seem to have a lot in common; but something is lurking around in the forest behind Charlie's house. What is it and what could it possibly want?

Chapter 2

After the dishes for dinner were washed, I took a shower and pulled the book out of the desk drawer. I looked at the design on the cover and then opened it; it wasn't worn, so obviously the book had been left there by accident. I flipped to the start of the first chapter and began reading. Twenty minutes into reading the book, I realized that it was a book of Quileute stories. With every sentence I read, I felt myself getting sucked into it more.

Dad opened the door to my room at around ten-thirty and told me that he was turning in for the night. I was surprised to find that I had read five chapters by the time he came upstairs. I was almost half way through the book, and I stuck a bookmark in it and then shut it, placing it back in the desk drawer. I grabbed my iPod that was sitting on my bedside table and turned it on. I stuck the earbuds in my ears and turned the lamp off. Settling into the bed, I drifted off in the middle of Linkin Park's "Leave Out All the Rest".

When I woke up, I couldn't be sure if it was early morning or sometime around noon. My iPod was lying on the bedside table, so Charlie must have checked on me before he left for work. I was about to roll over when I heard a knock from downstairs in the living room. I pushed the covers off of me, going over to the window and pushing the curtains aside; it was still dark outside, but I noticed that dad's cruiser wasn't in the driveway. I heard another thud from downstairs and I spun around. There was somebody downstairs and I was here all by myself!

I crept quietly over to the closet and opened it as far as I could without it creaking, and grabbed the baseball bat that I used for softball. I grabbed the bat with my right hand and quietly shut the door, creeping out of the room and making my way downstairs. I heard whispers from the living room and kept my slow pace; I wouldn't let them have the chance to hurt me.

When I got downstairs the whispering had stopped. None of the lights were on, but I didn't care. I saw a solid black mass go by me, I don't think it even noticed me, and gripped the bat with both hands. When the mass was coming back toward me, I swung the bat as I remembered what I'd learned when I played softball.

"AH! OW!"

I kept swinging, making the mass fall to the floor. A moment later the hallway light was flipped on, and I stopped. I raised my bat and turned around, jumping a foot in the air when I caught sight of Bella and the other Cullens standing there. I looked to the floor behind me and saw Jacob laying there. "Oh, god!" I groaned.

Bella and the others made their way over to where Jacob and I were. Carlisle kneeled down and looked Jacob over while Bella apologized about scaring me. "We're sorry. We didn't know that we'd startled you." I shook my head, telling them that I was normally jumpy when I was home by myself when it was dark.

We turned our attention to Jacob, wondering if he'd be okay. Jacob glared at me from his spot on the floor. "What was that for!?" he demanded. I shrugged my shoulders and answered honestly, "I thought you broke into the house! It was self defense!" he grumbled and got to his feet after Carlisle looked him over.

Wondering what they were all doing here, I had to ask: "What are you guys doing here at…" I paused and looked at the clock on the wall behind Edward. "…at six in the morning? Wait… is that clock right? Is it really six o'clock?" Bella and Edward nodded their heads.

"Yeah. We got here about a couple minutes before Charlie left to go to work. He told us to stay as long as we wanted. Told us he'd be home at eleven, anyway, so we were just gonna stay." Bella explained.

I nodded my head, looking at Jacob. "Sorry about the bat. I really thought someone was breaking in." he grumbled and took a seat on the floor against the wall the flatscreen was on. The Cullens all took seats around the room, and Bella flipped the flatscreen on. I noticed that the big muscled guy, Emmett, was eyeing the bat I was still holding onto. "Umm… excuse me while I go put this away." I spoke.

Running upstairs, I went to the closet and deposited the bat in there and then shut the door. I went back downstairs, going into the kitchen and searching through the cupboards for something quick I could eat. I heard a shuffle of a paper behind me and turned to find Bella standing there. "Oh. Hey, Bella." I went back to scavenging the cupboards and found a box of granola bars; I grabbed two and turned to her. "Want one?" I offered. She shook her head and quietly declined. Soon Edward joined us in the kitchen with Alice.

"Where did you learn to swing a baseball bat like a professional?" he questioned, his gaze looking amused. I laughed as I opened the first bar.

"I actually played softball throughout high school." I admitted. "Actually I played a lot of sports throughout high school." I took a bite of the granola bar and watched as Edward turned to look Alice with a frown on his face. Alice shrugged her shoulders and turned, going back into the living room and sitting beside the honey-haired boy. "Did I say something?"

Bella and Edward laughed. "No, not at all. She hasn't been feeling well lately." Edward spoke. Bella nodded her head and I knew they were hiding something. "You said that you played sports throughout high school?" I nodded my head. "Which ones?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and put the granola bar down on the counter. "Softball, obviously, but then I played tennis, soccer, and volleyball." I answered. Bella's mouth dropped open and Edward smiled and nodded. "We won the championships for softball. For tennis we got to the semi-finals of the high school circuit. Soccer we went to finals, but lost against the second team we went up against. And volleyball we won the championships." I explained.

Edward looked impressed and Bella stood there with her mouth still hanging open. Noticing my gaze, Edward followed it and upon seeing his wife's reaction he reached out and pushed it shut. "Sorry. Bella was quite clumsy in high school. She used to trip over her own feet." She glared at him and I laughed. "I think it surprises her that her sister has more coordination than she does." Bella glared at him again and then turned, storming into the living room, and watching TV.

Edward chuckled and excused himself. I watched him enter the living room and sit down beside Bella. I saw her look at him and then they started arguing in hushed voices. I looked at my granola bar and picked it up; I went back to the cupboard and put away the second one. I walked back over to the counter, when I noticed the papers Bella must have been looking at. I guess Charlie was hoping that I'd go to college somewhere close to him, because a huge stack of college applications were sitting on the edge of the corner.

Knowing that the paper hadn't been delivered before Charlie left, I went out the kitchen door to get it. I walked around the house and made my way to the area near the mailbox. As I leant down and grabbed the paper, wiping the early morning dew off of it, I saw a man standing across the street. It took me a moment to realize that he was watching the house; until I saw what looked like a glint in his eye, it was then that I realized he was watching me.

Feeling my stomach doing flips, I turned and made my way back to the kitchen door hastily. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if the man was still watching me; and sure enough, he was. I practically ran to the kitchen door and ran into a solid figure when I got closer, and fell backwards. An arm grabbed mine and pulled me back to my feet. Thinking that this was someone associated with that man across the street, I cried out and tried to break their hold on me.

"It's just me, Cristalyn! Edward!" I looked up and into the golden eyes of my sister's husband. Bella was making her way through the back door now with the other Cullens following her. I calmed down and my knees gave out unwillingly, making Edward catch me before I fell down.

Bella and the other Cullens were outside with us now. They rushed over to our sides immediately. "Edward, what happened!?"

"I was coming out here to see if she went outside and she ran into me. She lost her footing and I caught her. Then she started trying to get me to let go." He explained. Edward kept a good grip on me while I tried to regain my composure. When I nodded my head he slowly released me, making sure if I needed assistance he'd be there for me.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry. I don't normally act this way around people." They all looked at me. "What happened?" Carlisle asked. I looked at the inside of the house.

"Could we bring this inside? I don't really feel comfortable talking out here." They nodded their heads and we made our way back inside and into the living room.

Jacob eyed us as we all entered the room. "Where was the fire?" he joked. Bella and Edward glared at him.

I sat in between Bella and Edward on the couch. Looking at Edward, I apologized again for reacting the way I had. "I really am sorry that I acted that way, Edward. It's not like me at all." He forgave me and they all looked at me with the same question shining in their eyes: what happened out there? "Okay… so I went outside to get the paper for when Charlie gets home," Carlisle nodded his head. "I grabbed the paper off the ground and was wiping the condensation off the wrapper, and I noticed this guy across the street."

Emmett interrupted me after I finished. "Just some guy?"

"What did he look like?" Jasper asked in southern drawl.

Rosalie, the blonde-haired female, for once spoke, "Have you seen him around town?" everyone else in the room was quiet; I guess they didn't want to ask me questions.

I thought about the answers I would give. Slowly I answered them, "Yes, just some guy. No, I haven't seen him around town. I couldn't really see what he looked like; the only thing I noticed was… his eyes…"

Nine pairs of eyes focused on my face quickly. "It's like, even though it's dark outside, his eyes looked like they were kind of glowing. All I did was notice him standing across the street, nears the trees. I saw his eyes, and I think he smirked at me, but I'm not really sure." They all tensed, but didn't speak. I giggled nervously, a habit of mine when I was uncomfortable. "I think I might need some more sleep."

In the end, I did fall asleep again; on the couch, sandwiched in between my sister and her husband. I felt a blanket cover me, but I was too far gone to wake myself up. I heard their whispered conversation, but I soon fell into a deeper sleep. My dream was even more uncomfortable than when I had explained what happened outside to my extended family. It was haunted with the mysterious man and his odd-looking eyes.

I heard talking, some distance away from me, but not close; so probably in the kitchen. My torturous nightmare was ending, but not before I dreamt the man was pulling me towards him. My eyes snapped open and I jumped for the second time that day, and landed on the floor. I hit my head and then heard the footsteps as Alice and Jasper walked in. Jasper helped me to my feet, while Alice took a seat on the loveseat. She rested her head in her hands and once I was situated back on the couch, Jasper went to her.

I grabbed the blanket that was still on the floor and I got to my feet. I quietly excused myself and folded the blanket in the hall, and then took it upstairs to put it away. When I got inside the room, I went to the desk and turned my laptop on. I replied to the message from my mother and then I opened the desk drawer, pulling the book out. I opened it to where I had stopped reading and began from that point.

There was a knock on my door and I bookmarked the page, stuffing it inside the desk again. The lid of my laptop was still open so I called for the person to enter and pretended that I had been surfing the internet. Bella and Charlie entered the room, nobody behind them, and shut the door. I turned around in the chair and looked at them, "Hey. What's wrong?"

Charlie smiled weakly and then turned to look at my sister; she nodded her head and he began to speak to me. "Carlisle and Esme have invited us to spend a couple of days over at their house. It'll give you a chance to get a good sense of nature, and I could use the change of scenery." He told me. I looked at Bella and she smiled warmly at me. I looked back at dad and nodded my head, feeling like I wasn't even the one controlling it. "Well, we're headed over there tonight. And we'll probably stay over there for two or three days. So bring enough clothes and if you need to bring anything with you, make sure it's packed."

With the conversation over, Charlie and Bella left the room. I just stared at the shut door once they had left. Why were we going to the Cullens' house? It just didn't make any sense! Not wanting to argue, though, I grabbed a duffel bag and began to stick clothes in it. I shut my laptop down and then unhooked it from the charger. I took the wireless internet access card out of the side of the laptop and then began to pack it all up. I opened the desk drawer and took out the book I'd been reading. I stored it in the back of my messenger bag and then took my bags downstairs.

Charlie was coming down the stairs with his bag and he set them down near mine. He looked at Carlisle and asked, "Are we gonna head over there now, or wait until later?"

Feeling slightly confused, I looked at the clock behind Charlie's head and noted that it said it was quarter after two in the afternoon. I heard Carlisle tell dad that we could head over there now if we wanted, and we would all have an authentic Italian meal made by himself, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett.

Esme reminded Carlisle that there were things they still had to talk about before we left; so Charlie asked me if I could find something to do that would keep me out of trouble. I nodded my head and went back up to my room, shutting the door behind me. Everyone was sure acting weird. I went to the closet and opened it up, rummaging through it until I found my sports bag. I pulled it out and went through it until I found my volleyball that I used for solitary practices.

I tossed the ball up in the air and began to bounce the ball on my forearms and then my wrists. A minute later my door opened and Bella, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett walked in. I bounced the ball on my wrists and then caught it. Emmett gave a round of applause and I just smirked. "Don't let us interrupt. Go back to what you were doing." I laughed and I started bouncing the ball on my wrists and forearms again. "You have really good coordination." Alice spoke, shooting a sly glance at Bella.

Bella ignored Alice's comment and watched what I was doing. Emmett had noticed my sports bag and nudged Jasper, and now the two were going through the bag. They pulled out my tennis racket and the canister of tennis balls I had stored in there, followed by my soccer ball.

"You weren't kidding when you said that you played lots of sports, were you?" questioned Emmett. I shook my head, keeping my concentration on what I was doing. When I got bored of practicing with my volleyball, I caught it and tossed it to Emmett. He caught it and put away all the stuff he had pulled out. When the bag was zipped closed, I took it back to the closet and stuck it back in there. "So you're pretty good at most sports." I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to gloat.

"I know a thing or two about the four sports that I played. I can't say that I'm good at most of them." All four of them laughed and we heard a shout from downstairs. They all walked out of my room and downstairs, with me following them. I noticed that Charlie was shoving his gun belt into his bag. I watched as dad put his jacket on and I grabbed mine.

By the time we left the house, it was going on five o'clock; take into account that it took us almost half an hour to get there, even longer. When we finally arrived at the Cullen house, it was five thirty-six. Jacob ran off into the woods and the rest of us went inside. Bella hung dad and mine's jackets up and then led us into the living room. Emmett was already sprawled in a chair, the TV on ESPN while a Gators VS Giants game was on. Alice, Bella, and Rosalie talked in hushed voices as I stood in the entrance, looking at the parts of the house I could see. Charlie followed Esme and Carlisle into a different room. Edward and Jasper went into the living room, Edward taking a seat in the other chair across from Emmett and Jasper on the couch. I turned my attention back to my sister and my sister-in-laws; they finished their conversation and Rosalie walked off into the kitchen, exiting through a door on the opposite side.

Alice and Bella walked over to me. I let my eyes wander back around the area I was standing. I noticed the dining room table was strewn with chess boards that were all connected, it looked confusing. My gaze traveled to a cut off where I saw a bunch of computer screens, and then to another room that only had a grand piano sitting on a platform. My sight lingered there for a while before one of them spoke to me. "Do you play the piano?" I turned my gaze to my left and saw Alice looking at me questioningly. I nodded my head slowly.

"My step-father thought that piano lessons would keep me out of trouble." I told her. Bella led me into the room with the piano and motioned for me to sit down on the seat. I looked at her nervously, this had to have cost a fortune and for someone to just mess with it.

"Go ahead. You won't break it." came Edward's voice. I looked over at the doorway and saw him standing there with his arms crossed. I still sat there, unmoving, and he chuckled. "Really, go ahead. I won't mind." By this point, he was making his way toward me and the piano. Bella was sitting with Alice on a chaise diagonal to the seat I was sitting on. I scooted over to make room for Edward to sit beside me. He placed his fingers on the keys and began to play a gentle melody that filled the room and I was pretty sure that Emmett and Jasper could hear it in the living room.

As he continued to play, my mouth dropped open. This song he was playing was beautiful! It definitely wasn't by any of the musicians I listened to. "Who plays this?" I asked him. I heard Alice answer from beside Bella, "Edward composed this piece." I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. Apparently it was a funny expression because I heard Bella and Alice begin giggling. I switched my look from his fingers on the keys to his face. "How did you come up with this!?"

I heard him chuckle as he worked through a bridge. "Bella was the inspiration for this piece. When I finished it, I named it 'Bella's Lullaby'." He answered. Bringing the song to an end, he began to play Beethoven's "Symphony No. 3". I noticed that he was only playing the same part of the song over and over and I put my hands on the keys, starting to play. In my peripheral vision, I thought I saw Alice and Bella share a smile, but I couldn't be sure. Edward and I kept playing and everything seemed to disappear.

When I finished playing, I took my hand off the keys and saw Edward looking at me with astonishment in his eyes; it was then I realized that he had stopped playing a couple minutes after I had started playing with him. I looked at Bella and Alice as they began clapping and I felt my face begin to heat up. A wicked thought crossed my mind and I put my fingers over the keys, beginning to play Savage's "Swing". After I was finished, Jasper and Emmett had joined us; making my face flush red again.

After playing a couple more songs for them, and playing two with Edward, we got to our feet and walked into the living room as Esme, Carlisle, and Charlie rejoined us. Esme called for Rosalie, and told us that dinner would be ready in about an hour. Emmett told Charlie to enjoy the game, and followed after Rosalie and Esme. Alice and Jasper went up the stairs that flanked the left to the entrance hall. Charlie made himself at home in the chair that Edward had been occupying earlier, while Bella and Edward talked amongst themselves.

"We'll show you to the room you'll be staying in." Bella told me. I nodded my head and walked after them, grabbing my bags off the floor. I followed them up the stairs to the second floor of the house and down the hallway to the right. Edward opened the door, revealing the room I would be staying in. I walked in with them behind me. "This used to be Edward's room before we moved into our cottage." She told me.

I put my bags down near the closet door, and turned to face them. "You don't live here?"

Bella shook her head at me while Edward stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. "We live in a cottage not too far away. It's right through the woods." Edward spoke. I nodded my head in understanding when Alice and Jasper joined us.

"Does she like it?" Alice asked. Edward and Bella looked at her and nodded their heads. Alice squealed happily and we laughed. "There are some clothes in the closet. Obviously, Edward isn't a girl, so their meant for you." Her and Jasper turned and left the room, joining Charlie downstairs. Edward was frowning and saying something underneath his breath when I looked back to him and Bella. Bella muttered something unintelligible and I wondered what they could be talking about.

I put my duffel bag on the enormous full size bed against the wall, and I noticed the back wall was nothing but glass. I turned to look at Bella and Edward, who had stopped their conversation finally. "Glass? No walls?" Edward shook his head and spoke, "Esme designed the house, and since the house is all wall throughout the front of the house, she thought that it would be okay to make the entire back half glass walls. The window opens out like so…" he walked over to the glass wall and grabbed the handles that were attached to wood panels that I hadn't noticed. He turned the handle pulled in, and the sections opened up. It looked more like a set of French doors instead of a window; still it was very cool, and I loved it.

"We'll let you get settled here. Edward and I will be back soon, we're going to run over to our cottage. We'll see you in a little while." I nodded my head and watched as they left, shutting the door behind them. I looked around the room and sat down on the bed.

_I wonder why we're staying here for two or three days. Something must have dad worried or he'd never say something like that!_ I thought to myself. _I didn't think that something could get him so worried. But he seems to enjoy the Cullens' company a lot. I wonder if there's something more to what their letting on._

Shaking my head, I got back to my feet and started taking my clothes out of the duffel. I walked over to the closet and opened it, and I found that the closet was a walk-in one; it reminded me of my closet back at home with mom. I saw the clothes that Alice had been talking about; lots of dresses and blouses, there were even stands with cubby holes and pants were folded neatly and placed in there. I saw a shoe rack and walked over to it, and found what I could only assume were pairs of really expensive high heels or flats and some name brand sneakers. Clothes filled the entire space, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to fit my own in here. Looking up, I saw more casual dresses and nice looking blouses. I ran my hands over the material of the dresses and the blouses that were hung up; they felt like they were all made from either silk or satin. Once again, I was reminded of my closet back home in Louisiana.

I walked back out of the closet and over to my duffel. I stuffed my clothes back in them and walked into the closet once more. I saw a switch near the door on the inside and I switched it up; the closet was immediately filled with a soft glow of light. I giggled happily and shut the door to the closet, and saw my reflection in the full length mirror that was there. I don't think anybody would suspect that I was in here at the moment. I walked around, looking at the various articles of clothing that was either hung up or folded and placed in the stands.

When I got to the back of the closet, I saw a green Chanel dress. My mouth dropped open and I stared at it longingly; if I wore this dress, I would probably get chewed out by Alice… but the temptation was too great. I began to undress and when I was down to my bra and panties, I took the dress off the hangar and put it on carefully, I didn't want to tear it. I pulled my shoes and socks off, letting my feet rest on the soft carpet. I turned around and ran toward the mirror to see what I looked like. The reflection in the mirror made my heart skip a beat; I looked beautiful! I let my hair down and messed with it a bit, making a couple strands of the auburn hair curl. The dress really helped bring my eyes out, along with my killer figure.

I heard a knock on the bedroom door and I opened the closet door. "Hold on a minute, please!" I called. I went back into the closet, looking for something to cover up; I knew I was gonna get in trouble for this! I saw a robe hanging nearby and grabbed it, wrapping it around me and tying it shut. I walked out, grabbed the door and shut it quietly. Walking over to the door, I opened it and found Alice standing on the outside. "Alice!" I squeaked out. She lifted one perfect brow and walked inside the room. I shut the door and turned around; I watched as she opened the closet door and walked inside it.

She came back out, shutting the door behind her. I lowered my head, "I'm so sorry, Alice. I'll take it off and wash it. I won't touch any more clothes!" she laughed, and I raised my head.

"Cristalyn, it's all right! Like I told you earlier, those clothes are there for you!" she told me. I looked surprised and she giggled. "It's all right. You didn't look like you were comfortable in the "street clothes" you were in when were over at Charlie's. When we saw you in the airport you were wearing what clothes you're really suited to."

I had to make sure my brain was following; she got me these clothes? And all because she knew that I wasn't comfortable in baggy jeans and over sized t-shirts; and because I was more comfortable wearing the designer clothes that my mother and step-father provided me with when I was in Louisiana? This was an inconvenience to them, and Alice didn't have to spend her money to get me "fancy clothes" that I usually wore. "Show me which dress or outfit you're wearing! I'm dying to see!" something in her voice told me she could already imagine what I had chosen.

I looked at the door and locked it, not wanting anybody to walk in. I untied the robe and took it off, showing her the green Chanel dress. Her eyes lit up and she smiles brightly; almost as if she'd seen me wearing this before. She made a motion with her fingers, signaling me to do a circle, and I twirled around. I felt like I had been hiding myself in the horrible clothes that I had to wear at dad's house. "That dress is beautiful and you look like a princess in it!" she told me, opening the door. She motioned for me to follow her in the closet, and I did. She led me to the back of the closet again, and parted the hangars, showing a giant safe in the wall. She punched in the code, and I watched her, and the safe swung open. She grabbed a pair of earrings and a necklace and helped me put them on. She shut the safe and then I followed her over to the shoes. She picked out a pair of Dolce and Gabbana heels with a rose design made up of emeralds.

Alice led me over to the full length mirror and when I saw my new reflection I thought I would die. Alice really had made me look like a princess! She danced her way out of the closet and then came back a couple minutes later, Jasper by her side. He saw my expression and looked at Alice, a small look of disapproval on his face. Alice only smiled and laughed. After I got over my initial shock at my transformation, the joy of actually being in clothes that I was used to filled me. As I kept looking over myself in the mirror, I saw Jasper sigh and then nod at Alice, a look of relief on his face. I turned my attention back to them

"Esme wanted me to come up here and get you. Dinner is ready and she said to get down there right now." He told her. She giggled, leaning up on the tips of her toes and pecked him on the lips. She grabbed my hand and we walked out of the closet. Once we were fixing to walk out the door, I had to stop them.

Internally I was freaking out; Charlie had never seen me where clothes like these, mainly because he wouldn't let me where my "rich people clothes" as he dubbed them. That's why every summer when I visited him, he had made sure that normal clothes were provided for me; so I would look like a regular teenager. Jasper looked uncomfortable once more, but I didn't care about that at the moment. Alice looked at me curiously. "Alice, I can't go downstairs in this!" I told her. Her expression turned to a peeved look. "I love the clothes, Alice! I really, really do! It's just that Charlie doesn't like it when I dress like this." Her mouth formed an 'o' and she stepped back in the bedroom with me, Jasper following.

"Why?" she asked me. Jasper looked interested, too.

I sat myself down on the bed, looking at the floor. After a minute I raised my head. "When he and mom divorced, we moved to Louisiana. Mom's a writer, a really popular one. She gets thousands of dollars every time she sells one of her books. She likes to buy designer clothes, and I don't blame her." I explained. "When she had me, her writing career hadn't picked up and we got by with what little money she got. I didn't mind not having the clothes that all the popular kids had, that's just the mentally I have. But once her writing picked up and she started selling more, and she got more income… things changed. She got remarried when I was eight years old, to another writer. So eventually, we accumulated more money. That's when she started getting into designer clothes. Her and my step-dad love their clothes and pride themselves on their taste in fashion."

Alice and Jasper didn't look confused and I kept telling them my story. "They started buying me designer clothes and pretty soon after that, I got addicted to them. Now that we have the money to buy the clothes, I don't like the generic clothes. Jeans and t-shirts are okay, to a certain point with me. I'd prefer to be able to wear the outfits that I'm used to every once in a while. But…" I looked down at the floor. "Every time I come to visit, Charlie doesn't want me to let people know that I have "money". He wants everyone to think that my mother is just like Renee. An ex-wife who does what she has to get by…"

It surprised me that Jasper was the one to comment. "And in the process, you feel like you have to hide yourself up in a shell." I nodded my head. I noticed that Alice had sat down on the floor and Jasper had leant against the wall. He pushed himself away from it, and Alice got up from the floor. "Well, I think it's safe to say that you're in the Cullen household now. Charlie's call is null in void." He smirked and went to the door, opening it and walking out. Alice squealed happily and took my hand.

"Jasper's right, Cristalyn! Charlie has no authority… well, unless he's on the job," she laughed. "You can wear all the lovely clothes that you're used to! We better get downstairs before Esme gets mad and your dinner gets cold." I laughed with her and we went downstairs.

When we got downstairs, everyone's jaws dropped open. I saw Charlie do a double-take as I sat down with Jasper holding my chair out for me. I smiled and thanked him as he and Alice sat down next to each other. Esme brought me out a plate of the Eggplant Parmesan and Manicotti that she, Carlisle, Emmett, and Rosalie had cooked together. "You look beautiful, Cristalyn." She whispered to me. I blushed and looked at Charlie, who was sitting there with his mouth hanging open.

I let my gaze go around the room quickly, and noticed that nobody else was staring at me except for dad. Immediately, I felt like shouldn't have let Jasper and Alice talk me into it. I looked down at my food and cut a small piece of the manicotti and watched as dad regained his composure and set his fork and knife down. He wiped his mouth with the napkin beside his arm, and I knew what was coming.

"Lyn, can I see you in the living room, please?" I sighed inaudibly and set my fork and knife down. I stood up from my seat and followed Charlie into the living room, getting ready for the rampage he was fixing to unleash.

As soon as we were in the other room, he exploded. "What are you wearing!?"

I looked at the dress I was wearing, and immediately felt ashamed. "I thought it was nice…" I muttered. I saw his face getting red.

"Cristalyn, I told you before! When you're here in Forks, you aren't supposed to wear clothes like those!" I felt tears starting to prick my eyes. I blinked quickly, trying to make sure that they wouldn't fall. "You know why I don't want you wearing those! They attract too much attention!"

Unwillingly, a few tears escaped the corners of my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. I felt like I was being denied a part of myself, who I really was; and it wasn't fair! He was yelling at me because I wore a dress that Alice had provided me with! I knew that Alice and Jasper had told me that what Charlie said didn't matter; but it did to me. I thought like I was being selfish by wearing this dress. But I shouldn't have to get yelled at just for being myself! Before I knew it, I exploded on him.

"No! You don't want me to wear clothes like these because you know it's who I am! You know that I'm not like most teenagers! I don't like jeans and t-shirts, I don't feel normal!" I yelled back at him. "Every time I visit you, I have to wear clothes that you bought from the store or Bella left there! I feel like I have to hide who I really am, because you don't want others to know that mom has money!"

Charlie was staring at me, shock written on his face. I had never once raised my voice to him; if I had a problem with him, I merely told him so in a calm manner. I guess this happening was unavoidable, so I continued. "It's like you don't want me to be myself. We never do anything when I come here; we just sit around the house! You go to work, and I rarely get to leave the house the entire time!" feeling overwhelmed, I turned and ran up the stairs and to the room that was being provided for me.

I slammed the door shut and jerked at the strap of the high heels. When I got the straps loosened, I grabbed the heels and threw them across the room. I launched myself at the bed and landed in the middle of it. I grabbed one of the over sized pillows and put my face into it, giving in to my sobs.

**Well, I guess stuff is starting to heat up! Lyn knows that they're staying with the Cullens for a reason; however, she doesn't know what that reason is yet. And she's reading the book that Bella bought; will she be able to put the puzzle pieces together? Reviews are welcome!**


	4. Chapter 3

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Things heated up when Cristalyn and Charlie got into an argument. All of the Cullens heard the fight, so what will happen now?

Chapter 3

I woke up in the morning with sunlight filling the whole room. I felt like crap; and I probably looked it, too. I didn't really sleep last night, just tossed and turned; my mind replaying the fight between me and dad over and over. Whenever I got angry, I just kept it inside. I had never let my emotions become too much, and I most definitely never got into a verbal fight with dad before. I got to my feet and looked around the bedroom; the heels that I had thrown across the room were on the floor near a nice looking stereo stand.

As I was making my way toward the closet, a knock sounded on my door. "Come in…" I called hoarsely; my voice sounded like crap! The door opened and Bella walked in, shutting the door behind her. She greeted me and frowned at me. "What? Did dad tell you to come say something or are you gonna say something on your own?" she shook her head and I opened the closet door and caught sight of myself in the mirror.

My auburn hair was all tangled with bed head, my eyes were puffy from crying almost all night, and my nose was red. I looked to the bed and saw tissues littering where I'd been lying. "I guess the way I look is kind of like punishment for being so mean…" I said. Instantly Bella was by my side.

"Cristalyn…"

"Just Lyn…" I interrupted her.

Bella smiled and kept going. "Charlie's not angry at you. If anything, he's angry with himself." At my confused expression, she kept telling me more. "After you ran out of the living room, he stayed in the living room. He didn't even finish his dinner. I went to check on him and he told me everything."

I swallowed and winced, my throat was dry and swallowing hurt like hell. "He didn't know that you felt that way. He told me that he told you to wear the clothes he provided because he didn't want people looking at you funny." I laughed at that. "Lyn, believe it or not… Charlie's only looking out for your well being. People would treat you differently if they knew you had money. It was like that with all the Cullens; they dressed differently and drove expensive cars. It made other people either nervous or jealous. Charlie doesn't want you to go through that."

"I don't constantly wear clothes like this dress I'm wearing! The feel of the denim and my skin… it irritates me. When I wear clothes like those, they have to be specially made or my skin breaks out. I have pants that look like denim jeans, and I have regular t-shirts that I like." I admitted. Bella looked at me with a surprised look on her face. "I know what kinds of clothes to bring with me, and what clothes not to. I've been coming here since I was seven, I know the drill."

Nodding her head, Bella sat down on the bed. I walked over to the bed and grabbed the dirty tissues and threw them in the waste basket that was near the closet door. "Why don't you pick out an outfit and then go take a hot shower? I'm going to go downstairs and help Esme make breakfast." I nodded my head and turned to go to the closet, but then stopped.

"Bella?" I called. She stopped and turned to look at me before she left. "Has Charlie already left for work?"

"No, he called in and told them that he was taking the day off." She looked at me curiously. "Why?"

"Because I need to apologize for the way I acted last night." I replied, walking into the closet. "Then we'll see you downstairs in a little while." Bella called back to me. Once I was in the closet, I spotted my duffel bag and opened it.

I pulled out a pair of black dress slacks and I pulled a nice green halter top from one of the hangars. I walked out of the closet and grabbed the heels, going into the closet and putting them back in their place. I felt around the back wall of the closet, looking for the safe. Once I located it, I punched in the number I'd seen Alice put in and the door swung open. I took the jewelry off and put it all back in place and shut the door. I saw a section of stands that had undergarments and I grabbed the set of black lacy boy shorts and the black lacy bra. Going back to the clothes I had waiting for me, I zipped up my duffel and then gathered the pile of clothes.

Shutting the door to my room behind me, I began to walk down the hall looking for the bathroom. As I was passing another room, I collided with another solid figure and ended up dropping the clothes. I looked up and saw Rosalie looking down on me. "I'm sorry." I apologized. "I didn't see you coming out, and I was looking for the bathroom. I really am sorry!" she didn't say anything to me and walked past me as if I weren't there at all.

"Rose is just throwing a temper tantrum. She'll be fine later." Emmett said as he exited the same room. He began to walk after her, "Oh! And the bathroom is two doors down on your left…" he said, descending the stairs. I sighed and leaned down, gathering the clothes in my arms again. When I was ready, I began to walk down the hall again and found the bathroom this time.

I shut the door behind me and locked it. Setting the clothes down on the massive counter, I looked around. This bathroom was huge! It must be three times as big as the one at Charlie's! I spotted a cupboard and I went to it, opening it and finding the towels. I grabbed a green one and set it on the bar near the bathtub. I turned the water on in the tub and let it fill. I might as well take a nice, long, hot bath instead of a quick shower like every other night. I needed the time to go over what I would say to Charlie. I stripped my clothes off and stepped into the water, letting out a contented sigh.

I leaned back in the tub and just enjoyed the soothing hot water, when I noticed a button on the side of it. Curious, I pressed the button and I felt jets kick on. _You've got to be kidding me!_ I thought to myself. _They have a bathtub that actually has jets in it!? This is freakin' sweet!_ I enjoyed myself while I took my bath and took the time to wash. I washed and conditioned my hair with some apple blossom shampoo and conditioner, and just relaxed. I felt like I could fall asleep! Eventually the water got cold and I got up, grabbing the towel and drying myself off.

"Lyn, you might want to hurry. Breakfast is done!" I heard Bella call from outside the door. I called that I would be down shortly and began to dress myself. When I was done getting dressed, had put my dirty clothes in the clothes hamper, and styled my hair I went downstairs. I saw Charlie walking out of the living room, and by the time I got downstairs he was right near me.

"Dad? Can I talk to you for a minute?" there was no reason to put this off. He stopped, looking at me, and then followed me back to the living room. When we were in the room, I looked at him. "I'm really, really sorry about last night! I didn't mean to explode on you… it's just… I got upset, and I went schizo on you! And I really am sorry about it!" when he didn't say anything, I kept going. "You can ground me, put me on house arrest, anything! I just don't want you to…"

"…Lyn!" I stopped, looking up into his face. "It's all right. I forgive you. I know I kind of deserved it. I never knew I was making you feel less like yourself. It's just… I don't want people treating you any differently!"

I smiled. "Bella told me already." He smirked.

"She did, did she?"

I laughed at him. "She beat ya to the punch. Sorry, pops!" I turned and walked into the dining room, sitting down next to Alice.

Charlie followed me into the dining room and sat down next to Bella. "What do you mean 'pops'?" that ridiculous question caused Alice, Bella, Edward, Emmett and myself to burst out laughing. Esme walked into the dining room with two plates filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and hash browns. She set one plate in front of Charlie and walked around to set the other plate in front of me. I thanked her and began eating.

It took me about half way into my food to realize that only dad and I were eating. "Aren't you guys gonna eat?" I asked Alice. She and Jasper laughed and shook their heads.

"No, we ate already. We ate earlier this morning. Esme went and made more when she knew you and Charlie were up." She said. Even though I was beginning to like all of the Cullens, something seemed off when Alice said that. I shrugged it off and finished my breakfast.

I hung out with Bella and the others for most of the day. "Where's Jacob at? He hasn't been around for two days." I asked as we were sitting in the living room while the guys watched another football game. I saw a look of uneasiness flash in Bella's eyes, but as soon as it appeared, it disappeared.

"He went back home to visit his dad. Billy was getting worried about him." she lied to me. I nodded my head and then told her I wanted to get some reading done. None of them seemed to care and I made my way upstairs and to the room. I shut the door behind me and locked it, going to my computer bag. I opened it and took the book out, going to the bed. I laid across the bed and opened it up to where I'd stopped. I read the first couple of pages and then, just like every other time I began reading, I got sucked into it and time seemed to stop.

I saw a picture of a skull on the bottom of one of the pages and read the caption underneath, 'The Cold One'. Well, I'd give the Quileutes credit; they knew how to make a book interesting. As I kept reading through the book, it explained about what the Cold Ones were and how they survived. Soon I was getting up and turning the light to the room on, since it had already gotten dark. I went back to the bed and read more.

I heard a knock on the door and I bookmarked the page; I was almost near the end. I looked at the clock on the wall, it read 8:25. I stuffed the book under one of the pillows and went to unlock and open the door. When I opened it, Charlie was standing there. "I just wanted to come and let you know that pizza's here." I nodded my head and followed him downstairs, noting how quiet it was.

"Where are the Cullens?" I asked.

Charlie had two plates and two glasses of water set on the table. He began putting slices of the pizza on the plates. "Edward and Bella went to their cottage with Esme and Carlisle. Alice and Jasper decided to double date with Rose and Emmett, so they went to Port Angeles for dinner and a movie." I nodded my head and sat down.

Dinner was uneventful and quiet. After dinner was over, I told Charlie to go enjoy watching a Mariner's game that was coming on. He did and I took the plates and glasses into the kitchen; I washed them and set them down in the dish strainer and threw away the pizza box. I went back upstairs and continued reading the book.

At around eleven-forty, I closed the book; I was finished with it. I put it back in my bag and then went downstairs; all the Cullens were back. Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, and Charlie were gathered in the living room, watching the CNN. Edward and Bella were sitting on the seat in front of his piano and he was playing her lullaby. Alice and Rosalie were in the room that had all the computer screens, and Esme was sitting at the dining room table with blueprints cluttering it. I went into the living room, sitting on the floor near Charlie.

I didn't pay the news any attention as I sat there, pondering over what I had read in that book. I don't think I was really using my brain when I nodded off. I could hear people talking around me, but I didn't wake up. I was aware that I being picked up, and then as soon as that happened I was being set down on something soft. I didn't focus on anything else, except sleeping.

**Apologies and book-reading… Lyn is trying to decipher what the book means. Will she eventually understand it all? And what do the others know that she doesn't? Reviews are welcome!**


	5. Chapter 4

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Charlie and Lyn made amends. Lyn finished reading the Quileute book that Bella left at Charlie's house, and she's starting to get suspicious.

Chapter 4

We've been staying with the Cullens longer than dad told me. Today made it a week and two days that we'd been staying with Bella and her family. Actually, I was starting to get used to it. After the argument with Charlie, he called in and told them that he was going to stay out for a few more days. He and I spent more time together; went to Port Angeles for dinner one night and to a movie the next. The couple sunny days that Forks got, Charlie and I were hanging outside playing catch or I was just lounging around on the lawn. I noticed that the Cullens weren't home; neither was Bella. Charlie told me that Esme and Carlisle liked to take them up to the mountain to hike, but I had theories of my own. I didn't say anything to Charlie; I didn't want him to think I was crazy.

After dinner was done, dad went to watch a Mariner's game on the flatscreen and I went upstairs to my room. I pulled the book out from underneath my pillow and flipped through it lazily. Eventually I got bored of flipping through the book that I'd re-read twice already and stuck it back under the pillow. I grabbed my laptop, turning it on and checking my emails; seeing none I signed out and played pinball. I stuck my headphones into the audio jack and I brought up the media player. I began listening to the Kid Rock CD that I had ripped to my player and began playing my game again.

I heard a knock on my door so I paused my game and the song that was playing. I got to my feet and I went to the door, opening it. Emmett stood in front of the door, with his hand raised like he was going to knock again. "Hey! What're you doing?" he greeted. I laughed, I'd gotten used to Emmett's outgoing-ness. "Wanna play video games with us?"

"Sure." I answered. I went to my laptop and exited out of everything and closed the lid. I walked out of the room, shutting the door behind me, and followed Emmett downstairs. When I got into the living room, it looked an arcade. Charlie and Carlisle were setting up another flatscreen a little bit farther from the first one; I recognized it as dad's flatscreen. Jasper and Edward were carrying a couple game systems into the room while Alice, Bella, and Rosalie carried the system accessories, cords, and adapters. I laughed and looked at Emmett, "You guys really take gaming to a whole new level. Don't you?"

He laughed at the awe in my voice. "Actually, the only people who actually game are me, Jasper, Alice, and Bella." I saw Rosalie frown at him and then he added, "And Rose, too."

Jasper laughed on his way past us. "The only reason Carlisle and Charlie are setting up Charlie's flatscreen is so we can play games and they can still watch CNN." I followed Emmett and the others to the TV. Charlie and Carlisle had gotten the flatscreen mounted to the wall finally and Carlisle plugged the power cord into the multi-outlet that was plugged into the wall. Charlie and Carlisle let us take over then, as they walked over to the couch in front of the other flatscreen and put it on the news.

"Um… does anyone know how to hook these adapters into the TV?" Bella asked. I laughed and walked over to where she was kneeling and setting down the adapters. I grabbed one of the adapters and looked up between the wall and the bottom half of the flatscreen; noticing the part where I could plug the adapter in, I did so and looked at the others. "Which game system does this go to?" Edward pointed to the brand new Nintendo Wii by my feet. I plugged the other part of the adapter into the Wii and then finished plugging it up.

I turned the TV to channel 3 and then turned the system on. Emmett grabbed a game and put it in. When the game loaded, everyone except Emmett and I groaned in protest at his choice; Wii Sports. I grabbed a game controller and I looked at Emmett with a look of challenge on my face. "I'll play first." Emmett grabbed the second controller and smirked. The others sat to where they could see the game. Emmett told me to choose a sport, so I chose tennis. "Unless you're too afraid…" I joked. We picked our teams and the game began.

I served the ball and watched my side of the screen. Emmett hid it back to me, and I knocked it back to him with a little bit of speed. He swung and his racket missed the ball, and I got the first points. I laughed and he huffed angrily. We began again, and pretty soon we both had a hardcore game of tennis going on. I caught a few surprised expressions from Bella, Edward, and Jasper; he must beat them at this when they play. Well, he had another thing coming to him.

I won the first set and we were in the middle of our second. The others had taken their sides with either Emmett or me. The cheering that Bella and the others were doing caused Charlie, Carlisle, and Esme to come and investigate. They, just like the others, were surprised that I was beating Emmett. By the time we were finished with the second set, which Emmett won, I was sweating like a pig. Rosalie held out a bottle of water to me and I took it, thanking her quietly, and drank half of the bottle. I capped it and Esme took it from me, telling me to get back to the game. Emmett served the ball, sending it at me with some speed to it. I waited for the right moment to smack it right back, sending it toward him with more speed than when he sent it to me. Near the end of the set, Emmett and I were tied and glaring at each other before he served it. This would make all the difference; we were tied one to one, and this match would decide who won. For five minutes we sent the ball back and forth to one another, until I got tired of childish games and when I sent it back to him; I jerked the controller, and the ball went flying to the opposite side of the court where neither of his people were and it hit the ground. I won!

I looked at Emmett, smirking at him, and noticed the pissed off look. "Don't feel bad, Emmett." I told him. Everyone in the room laughed and I put a hand on his back; for a moment I was stunned, but I didn't let anything betray me. "I've been playing tennis for a long time. Next time you want a challenge, you know where to find me!" I took my hand from his back and turned around, tossing the controller to Jasper. I walked out of the living room and went back to my room. As I walked out of the large room, I noticed that everyone was wearing a look of shock on their faces; like they couldn't believe I had touched him.

I entered the room, shutting the door behind me. I turned on the light and went to the bed, laying down on it. Now that I was by myself, I let my thoughts drift back to what happened downstairs. Emmett had felt like ice; even though he was wearing a shirt, it felt like his body was radiating the cold through his clothes. Something in my brain clicked while I thought about that. It was something I had read in the book. I rolled over, putting my hand underneath the pillow and pulling out the book. I flipped it open to the page with the picture of the odd-looking skull and let my eyes skim through the words until I found what I was looking for. While this part of the book told about the creature dubbed 'The Cold One', it gave descriptions about them. I read through the information on the page, and finally found what I was looking for. It said that they were pale, cold-skinned, had super-human strength, were immortal, and drank blood.

A knock on the door drew me from my internal reverie, and I slid the book under the book quickly. I called for whoever it was to come in, and dad walked inside. "Hey. Are you okay?" I smiled and laughed.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just reveling in my recent victory, that's all." I answered, making him laugh. "I was thinking of turning in for the night, actually." He nodded his head and turned around, leaving the room. Once he was out of the room, I went back to what I had been thinking about. A mythical creature like a Cold One couldn't exist… could it? I remembered something my step-father used to tell me, that parents had been telling their children for generations: don't ever judge a book by its cover. My step-father was also a very superstitious person, believing in every kind of myth and creature. Odds are that he would believe in this creature, and he would tell me to be careful.

Living with my step-father for so long made me into a superstitious person, too. I believe in every "stupid" superstition there is. My step-father told me every chance he got that I was special; that I was different from other people. I didn't understand what he meant, and I still don't understand what he means. I'd just have to find out for myself if what I'd read about was true.

A couple days later, Emmett and I were finally on talking terms again. After breakfast, I followed Alice into the room with all the computer screens. Rosalie, not seeing me as a threat anymore, told me to start calling her Rose like everybody else. She was sitting in the room as Alice and I walked in, and touched one of the screens. They all turned on, and I saw that every screen had something to do with fashion and clothes. Alice sat down in the biggest leather chair, and started to press different patterns on the screen in front of her. Rose got up and went to stand behind Alice, watching her. We sat there for two hours, and I noticed that Rose was the one calling the shots for the choices; unless Alice made a vague comment, and then she seemed okay with it.

I looked out the doorway, seeing Emmett and Jasper playing their complex game of chess with the eight boards. I excused myself from the room and walked outside; it was cloudy out like every other day and I looked around the giant lawn. I saw the forests near the edge of the house and I went toward them. I stopped and looked behind me, back toward the house. I shrugged it off and turned back around and began into the forest. I kept walking, admiring the scenery, until I heard a branch snap somewhere off to the left of me. I stopped in my tracks and looked around me, having a sense of déjà vu. Another branch snapped, this time closer to where I was standing. I tried calming myself down, but the panic was already setting in. I was facing the way that I'd come from, hearing footsteps. I turned and ran, unwillingly giving in to my fear.

I heard footsteps like whoever was following me was right behind me. I was so stunned and panicky that I didn't notice the two boulders that were spaced too far apart. Right when I was on the edge, I noticed the gap and I tried to catch myself; but it was too late. I lost my footing and I slid down, grabbing onto a giant branch that was sticking out of the side of one of the boulders. I right leg ached and I dared a glance down at it; there was blood flowing from a giant gash on it. The footsteps that had been following me had stopped, and I didn't hear anything. "Help…" I called quietly. I saw a bird fly by overhead and I called out again.

*~Bella's POV~*

I sat in the living room with Edward, Carlisle, Esme, and Charlie. We were currently watching the news and listening to the story that news anchor was telling; apparently there was someone abducting teenage girls in the Seattle area, and the police were asking for help in finding the culprit. Commercials began playing, signifying a break, and Alice came running into the living room.

"Something's happened." She told us. As soon as that sentence left her mouth, Emmett, Jasper, and Rose came into the room. We all got to our feet, even Charlie.

Esme looked concerned. "What's wrong, Alice?" she asked.

"Lyn…" she said, causing us all to tense. "She's hurt." As soon as those words left her mouth, all of us in the room caught the scent of blood in the air. Charlie looked at Alice, only being human and asked her, "What happened?!"

My ears, and I'm pretty sure everyone elses, picked up the soft cry that the wind carried. "Help…" I ran off and into the woods with Edward on my heels. I was aware of the others following, except for Carlisle and Esme who were probably staying with Charlie to keep him composed.

The others and I ran as if we were going to Edward and I's cottage. We heard the cries more now, assuming we were approaching Lyn. "Help me!"

*~Lyn's POV~*

I kept hold of the branch, my arms aching; the pain in my leg was getting worse since I was thrashing around so much. Tears streamed down my face. "Help me!" I cried desperately. I heard leaves crunching and a branch snap. "Anybody!? I'm down here!" I heard talking approaching me, and then someone else called out.

"Lyn, where are you!?" the tears spilled down my cheeks faster as I cried in relief. "Lyn, you gotta help us out here! Tell us where you are!"

As I stopped moving, my right leg hit a jagged piece of the boulder and I cried out in pain. "God… HELP ME NOW!!" I cried. I saw a bunch of heads peek out from the top of the boulder as I looked up.

I saw a stunned expression on Bella's face. "Hold on, Lyn!" a couple minutes passed while I waited. I saw a shadow and I turned to see Jacob standing there on the other side. "Jake, Lyn's stuck down there!" I saw him look down and spot me. I looked up to Bella and the others who were standing on my side. A moment passed until I realized that Jacob was climbing down the boulder to me; it was like watching an episode of an extreme sports show. He got down to me and looked me over.

"Are you okay?" he asked me. The tears wouldn't stop as I shook my head. He climbed up on the branch that I was holding on to. It was quite sturdy and it didn't budge as he climbed on top of it. I watched as Jacob balanced himself on the branch and then grabbed both of my arms, pulling me up to him. "Wrap your arms around me and whatever y0u do, don't let go!" he instructed me. I clung to Jacob for dear life and he carefully turned to face the boulder. He put his hands into holes on the side of the boulder, like they were there for rock climbing. He looked down and put his foot in another hole, and began climbing his way up to the top.

We were almost to the top when one of his feet slipped out of one of the holes. His hands tightened in the holes they were in, but his body swayed toward the boulder, making my injured leg smash the boulder. "AHH!! OW!!" Jacob muttered apologies and stuck his foot back into the hole he missed. "Scum-sucking, puss spewing hell! I'm gonna kill you when we get up there!" He kept climbing until Jasper and Edward were able to pull me away from Jacob and lay me on the boulder.

Jacob got to the top with us and sat down. "Be careful." He told them. "She cut her leg open, and her hands too." Bella was by my side in an instant. As I was sitting there, being checked over by Edward and Jasper, I snuck a look at their faces. I saw that their eyes were no longer the golden brown color that they usually were; they were more of a black with red around the edges. It was then that I knew the truth; the book that I'd read was true, the stories told within the pages was true.

I noticed the others standing there, waiting for Edward and Jasper's assessment. Jasper had ripped two pieces off of his sweater and wrapped them around my hands, while Edward was making a tourniquet to cut off the blood flow in my leg. As Edward was tightening the tourniquet, I said the truth I now knew. "You're vampires!"

**Lyn got her confirmation that the Cold Ones do exist. How will the Cullens and Charlie react to her finding out? Will Renesemee make an appearance? Find out in the next chapter! Reviews are welcome!**


	6. Chapter 5

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Again, thank you to all the readers who reviewed! Sorry that it's taken me so long to update; schools been putting me through hell and I've had a minor case of writer's block. So, eventually I came up with this chapter. Anyway… Read on!

Lyn went for a little walk and found herself being followed. She took a spill and the Cullens and Jacob came to her rescue. Then she nonchalantly told them that she knew what they are.

Chapter 5

Time seemed to stop as Bella and the others looked at me. They all stood there, looking at me with shocked expressions. "Oh, come on! You think I wouldn't find out the truth?"

Jasper stood where he was, looking like he wanted to destroy something and stay calm at the same time. Rose looked like she wanted to just destroy something. Emmett looked like he was choking on a tree branch. While Edward, Bella, Alice, and Jacob all had looks of shock on their face.

"How…" Bella began. I looked at her and simply replied, "The book you left at dad's house." Six heads turned to look at Bella.

I knew she was probably having a hard time remembering the book. "It's a book on Quileute legends. It was underneath the desk, and I found it." Everyone's heads turned to look at me now, and I saw Bella's eyes fill with remembrance. "When I found it I thought it was just a book that you'd left there. I opened it one night and I just got sucked into it."

"But how did you know?" Jacob asked me.

"Well, for the most part I thought the book was just a bunch of stories. But when I got farther into the book, I thought that it was weird that it kind of described you all." I answered. "The paleness, not eating or drinking anything, not being home when it was sunny outside; I still thought it was all stories… until I saw your eyes just now." I finished, glancing at Edward and Jasper.

Everyone still seemed shocked that I knew, and they stayed quiet for a while. I looked around at everyone, and noticed that Alice had this far away expression. Bella and the others followed my gaze and Jasper took hold of Alice's arm. "She won't tell anyone." She said, coming out of whatever it was. "I've seen it; she won't say anything to anyone. She's acting kind of like Bella did when she found out." The others nodded their heads and Jacob got everyone's attention.

"Need I remind you, that she's still bleeding." He spoke. "Shouldn't you head back to the house?" Bella nodded while Edward, Rose, and Jasper ran back toward the house. I had forgotten all about the pain in my legs and hands until Jacob mentioned it, and they began to throb. "I'll be there in a minute, Bells. Since she knows about us now… well, you guys now, she might as well meet her." I was about to ask him who he was talking about, but he turned and jumped across to the other side of the boulder and ran off into the forest.

Alice said something too fast for me to comprehend, but Emmett walked over to me. "What's up?" I asked. He didn't answer and lifted me up into his arms. "Hey! Put me down!" I protested. Emmett, Bella, and Alice laughed at me while I continued to argue with them.

"I suggest you close your eyes." Emmett told me, but I refused to do so. I watched Alice and Bella take off in front of us. "Have it your way then." He said, taking off after them both. As soon as he began running, I felt light-headed, so I closed my eyes and felt my head lull against his chest.

After a couple of moments I felt the air stop slapping my face and opened one eye wearily. "It's safe." I heard Emmett say. But I was still feeling light-headed and I felt like the whole world was spinning. I closed my eyes again, wishing the spinning feeling would stop.

"Set her on the bed, Emmett." I heard Carlisle say. I felt the cold of Emmett's body recede as he set me down on the bed. "What happened?"

"That's what I would like to know." Came Charlie's stern voice.

"She was hanging from a branch in between the two boulders that are near our cottage. Jacob went down there and got her and brought her up to us." Edward spoke. "Her leg has a deep slash in it, and both of her hands are scraped open and bloody, as well."

I listened to Charlie chuckle and mutter something about me being accident prone like Bella. "I can take care of her. She'll be up and around by tonight." Carlisle was probably telling Charlie. I heard footsteps leaving the room, so I guessed that everyone was going back to what they were doing.

"Lyn, are you okay?" I opened my eyes and saw a blurry outline of Bella standing next to me. I saw Charlie behind her and then Carlisle and Esme were on the opposite side. A wave of nausea hit me and I felt like the room was spinning faster than before. "Are you all right?"

The last thing I remember before I fell unconscious was Carlisle's calm yet frantic voice. "Bella, go upstairs and get me a couple of blood bags. Esme, get me the proper tools to perform a blood transfusion."

When I regained consciousness, I was aware that I was laying on what was probably a hospital bed. From the looks of it, I was in the living room and all of the Cullens plus Charlie, Jacob, and some girl I'd never seen before, were gathered. They were all sitting around the TVs and I noticed they were all watching the news. I looked around me and saw that some stands were set up, and I had all sorts of tubes hooked into me; an IV line, a blood bag that was connected to my hand and the vein in my elbow, a heart monitor, and an oxygen tube in my nose. My mouth was dry and I coughed, trying to get someone's attention; the only problem was: I got everyone's attention.

Everyone was by my side in an instant, minus Jacob and the strange girl. Carlisle, of course, was near me on my left side while Charlie and Bella were on the right; the others were surrounded around the end of the bed. "How do you feel?" Carlisle asked me. I went to answer, but since my mouth was dry I couldn't say anything.

As if reading my mind, Edward went into the kitchen and came back with a glass of water. I took the glass from his hand, nodding in thanks and downed the glass greedily. He took the empty glass from me and came back with a refill. "Are you feeling all right now?" Carlisle tried again.

"Yes, thank you." I answered. I looked at them and then back to Carlisle. "What happened?"

Bella laughed. "You don't remember anything?"

Shaking my head, I spoke. "All I remember is opening my eyes and then… nothing."

"Well, that's to be expected." Carlisle told me. "When they brought you back here, you had lost a lot of blood. You passed out from blood loss, and in order to make sure that you would regain consciousness I performed a blood transfusion. After I had everything done for your transfusion, I cleaned your leg and sewed it up. I also bandaged your hands, so be careful; the cuts are going to need time to heal completely. It might hurt to walk on your leg, but if you need help…"

I shook my head. "That's fine. I shouldn't baby it." Edward and the others laughed. "She's absolutely right. But if you need help, the others are here for you." Esme spoke.

Carlisle began to take the tubes out of me, and I was grateful; I hated needles and just knowing that I had them in me… it creeped me out. I looked at Edward and Jasper and Emmett, "Thanks for helping me. Thanks for carrying me back, Emmett." All three of them nodded their heads, and then everyone walked over and took their seats again. Once Carlisle had me unhooked from everything, he took the equipment back upstairs in a flash. I walked to the couch with the help of Bella and dad, and I sat in between them.

"I see you're still alive." Jacob spoke from his spot on the floor.

I glared daggers at him. "It was mighty chivalrous of you not to drop me on the way back up!" Bella looked nervously back and forth between Jacob and me. I watched Jacob shrug his shoulders and smirk, and then get slapped by the girl. Everyone laughed at him, but then the room settled down.

Bella and Edward looked at the girl and said something quickly and quietly. She turned and looked at me with a bright smile on her face. "Hello." She greeted. "I'm Renesemee."

I looked at my sister and her husband, who was perched on the arm of the couch. "She's your daughter, isn't she?" I asked them. They nodded their heads, while everyone looked at me with crazy expressions on their faces. "What?"

"You don't find it odd that your sister is, like, twenty-one and has a daughter that's almost seventeen in human years?" Jacob asked, looking at me with a puzzled look on his face. In my peripheral vision I saw Charlie nod his head in agreement.

I thought over what Jacob had asked. Then I gave him my honest answer and opinion. "Nope, I really don't care. Since I'm going out on a limb, and saying she got prego before she became a vampire, it's not all that surprising." I spoke. I saw Charlie gawk at me.

"How are you taking all of this so calmly? Why aren't you freaking out about this!?" Jacob fumed.

I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. "I guess I'm used to "weird" stuff. I always believed that there were other things out there, and I guess I'm just getting my confirmation." The "you're crazy!" expressions vanished off of the Cullens' faces and Charlie's, too. "I mean, my step-dad always says that there are things in our world that can't be explained. I guess he doesn't realize how right he is."

Renesemee laughed, and the others followed suit. "So… it doesn't bother you that Edward and I have a daughter who's almost your age?" I shook my head. "Alice was right. She's acting like I did when I found out." She laughed.

Alice came dancing down the stairs, I hadn't even noticed she'd gotten up and left the room, with a lime green cell phone that was playing Paramore's "I Caught Myself". She came over to me and held it out to me; it was my phone she was holding. "I heard it when I was fixing to come back down here." She told me. I took the phone from her and thanked her.

I pressed the 'send' button and put the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"_Lyn, is that you sweetie?"_ a soft female voice asked.

"Oh. Hey, mom." I rolled my eyes, making Bella and a couple of the others snicker.

"_I just wanted to call and see what was up. You haven't emailed me back in almost a week! I was starting to get worried."_

I laughed internally; leave it to my mother to worry if I didn't email her every day. "I'm fine, Mom. Really, I am." _'Not excluding what happened today!'_ I thought. "I've just been super busy hanging out with Dad."

"_That still does not excuse you from emailing me, Cristalyn Eleyn! I told you, either email me every other day or call me._

I sighed, knowing she was at the bursting point. _'Get ready for it.'_ I told myself. "Mom, I really am sorry. It just slipped my mind and I totally forgot. I'll email you as soon as I can. Promise."

"_I'm on the road here, sweetie! You know this is an important time for me! My new—"_

"Your new book just came out… yes, I know. You keep reminding me." I interjected. "Mom, I'm really busy right now. Can I, uh, call you back later?"

"_I'll hold you to that. You better call me tonight, young lady!"_ She bargained.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I will. Bye, Mom." She bid me goodbye until later, and I ended the call.

"I take it your mother hasn't changed at all." Charlie spoke up. I shook my head.

I sighed and looked at my phone. "If I don't call her back, she'll call my phone and harass me." Charlie chuckled, obviously remembering her behavior from when they were married. "But enough about Mom! Is there anything I need to know since I know?"

"Yes, there is one thing." Carlisle spoke, gaining all of our attention. "You cannot tell anyone. You understand why we wouldn't want this getting out." I nodded my head, knowing that their lives depended on secrecy. I sat in the living room with everyone for a while, until I felt the need to empty my bladder. I began to stand up and Bella followed me, helping me to the bathroom.

I used the toilet quickly and I called to let Bella know when I was done. While I was washing my hands in the sink, I asked Bella, "So… what's Jacob? I mean… he doesn't really fit the description of a vampire." She laughed, which caused me to burst out laughing as well.

"What other "creature" did that book talk of?" she rebuked.

I thought to myself for a moment, but then it hit me like a brick. "A… werewolf!?" I choked out. She nodded her head. "You're freakin' crappin' me! Jacob's a werewolf!?" She just nodded her head and helped me back downstairs. I looked at Jacob, still shocked, and asked him what I had asked my sister. "You're a freakin' werewolf!?" Jacob nodded his head while everyone shared a laugh.

"Dog is more like it." Rose muttered. I snickered and just let everything sink in; in less than twenty-four hours I realized my sister and her in-laws were all vampires, I had a niece who was a half-vampire, and the boy I'd tried to become friends with was a werewolf.

We sat in the living room talking for what seemed like hours. Eventually, Carlisle turned on CNN, and all the guys became engrossed in the main story of the evening. All of us girls moved over toward the other TV and Alice handed me the remote. I smiled and turned it to the Sci-Fi Channel right as Ghost Hunters was coming on; I loved that show! Alice raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow at me and I just grinned; I was fascinated by the paranormal, I had been since I was young.

Alice and the others began talking, but I focused all my attention on the show that was on the TV; it was my favorite episode, the investigation of the Stanley Hotel. I barely comprehended what they were speaking about, and it wasn't long before I stopped trying to keep up with their conversation. After my show was over, I shut the TV off and sat where I was. Jasper, I assumed, was the one who had turned up the TV that all the guys were watching. It was then I heard what the anchorperson was talking about.

"_Earlier this evening in Seattle, a body was found in an alleyway near the Johnson Publishing Company. We're not getting a lot of details on who the victim is at this time, but we'll keep you posted on any updates. The body was discovered by one of the publishing company staff members, who had stepped out on their lunch break."_ the newsperson said. _"The police were notified and the coroner will be performing the autopsy on Wednesday. This is Amelia Carson, CNN News."_ I was staring at the wall when I felt my heart stop beating and my breathing cut off. I saw four heads turn to look at me with frantic expressions on their faces. Alice put her hand on mine, but I didn't take comfort in the action. Bella came to my side with Rose and Esme. Renesemee looked at her mother and then went to sit with the guys.

"Lyn, is something wrong?" Bella asked. I felt myself begin breathing, but it hurt to breathe now. I couldn't speak; I felt like my world was crashing down around me!

Alice stroked my hand. "You're too pale." She turned and looked at the guys behind us.

Rose and Esme joined Bella in comforting me when, unknown to me, I began hyperventilating.

"Carlisle, something's wrong with Lyn!" I heard Alice speak. Within seconds everyone was around me again. Alice looked at me once more.

Carlisle knelt in front of me. "Does anything hurt?" he asked. I saw Charlie right behind him, worry etched on his face.

Even though I was having a tough time breathing at the moment, and my heart felt like it was being crushed, I answered. "I need to call my Mom."

"Lyn, your Mom's fine." Charlie spoke from behind him.

I looked at Bella and the others. Finally, I looked Dad dead in the eye and spoke. "You don't understand!" I cried, becoming hysterical. Bella hugged me. "My Mom's in Seattle!"

"Lyn… there are hundreds of places she could be in Seattle besides where that crime took place." Jasper told me.

I shook my head, tears starting to fall down my cheeks. "No, there's not! She was at her publishing company; JOHNSON Publishing Company!"

**Talk about a heart attack! I'd die if something like that happened to me! So was it her mother who was killed or just a regular passerby? Find out in the next chapter! Reviews are welcome!**


	7. Chapter 6

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

A body has been found in the alleyway right near Lyn's mother's publishing company. Is it her mother that was killed?

Chapter 6

I watched Charlie turn away and go out the front door. My breathing slowed down and tears still flowed down my cheeks, but I felt calmed. I sat there with my sister's cold arms wrapped around me, trying to comfort me. My mind was filled with hurt and confusion; if it was my mother, I wouldn't be able to carry on. My mother was everything to me; if I had lost her, things would never be the same for me. "Mom, will she be okay?"

"I don't know, honey. We just have to make sure that her mom's okay." I heard Bella answer. My heart felt like it was just staying together by thread, and I was trying to break out of my funk so Bella and the others wouldn't have to see me like this. I saw a flash of white and saw Charlie standing with us again. I looked at him, my tears finally having stopped. "Well, dad?" Bella asked.

Charlie unzipped his jacket, pocketing a cell phone. "I called the station and got the number for the police department in Seattle that's dealing with this case. I told them that I had somebody who probably knew the victim. They asked us to come down there tomorrow so Lyn can identify the body." He looked at me with concern etched into his eyes and his expression. "You can do that… right, honey?" I nodded my head slowly. I felt Bella unwrap her arms from around me.

"What time are we leaving?" Bella asked. Charlie and I looked at her in confusion. "We're not letting you go without us! We're family, and we're going to act like one!" I heard Esme speak her approval and Alice after her. At that moment, I was grateful to have such a wonderful family; it may consist of vampires, a werewolf, and us humans, but I felt very proud.

Charlie chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. "They're performing the autopsy at one-thirty. So we should leave around eleven, eleven-thirty-ish." He spoke. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. I got to my feet and Bella got up with me.

I slowly made my way to the stairs and began to wobble my way up them. Bella was behind me, ready to catch me if I lost my footing or stumbled. I survived the staircase and then made my way to my room. I laid across the bed, being careful with my leg, and stared at the wall. "Don't worry, Lyn. Everything will be okay, I promise." I heard Bella tell me. I nodded my head, when I heard a faint melody start. I looked over at Bella who was standing near the stereo system, and saw that she had turned it on. Debussy's "Clair de Lune" filled the room, and I felt content. My eyes closed slowly and soon enough, I was fast asleep.

~*~*~*~*~

When I woke up in the morning, I felt the uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. My door opened and Alice and Bella walked inside. "Good morning!" Alice greeted. I didn't know how to answer her; it definitely was not a good morning for me. "How are you feeling?" Bella asked me. I made a gesture meaning 'so-so' and she smiled.

I watched Alice disappear into the closet, and knew she was planning an outfit. Bella helped me to my feet and led me toward the bathroom. "It will be fine today. I swear. Let's get you a bath." She sat me on a chair that was in the middle of the bathroom and filled the sink with warm water and apple blossom-scented body wash. I undressed when she told me to and sat still as she sponge-bathed me.

"Bella, I'm perfectly capable of taking a shower." I protested. She laughed at me and ignored what I'd said. "I'm serious! Why are you sponge-bathing me!?"

Alice's melodic laughter filled the bathroom as she entered quickly and shut the door behind her. "It's because Carlisle doesn't want you getting your sutures or dressings wet. He said that you'll be able to take a regular bath or shower in a couple of days." I saw her set a garment bag on the hook on the door and set a pair of Versace sandals near the bag. Once Bella was finished with bathing me, she handed me a large body towel which I wrapped around me.

"Sit back down and lean back." Alice instructed me. I did as she told me and she washed me hair with the matching shampoo from the shower. She towel dried my hair and then styled it. "Your hair is so much more manageable than Bella's." she commented. I saw Bella glare at her, but she ignored it. Bella stood near me as Alice danced over to the garment bag. She unzipped it and I saw a complete outfit, undergarments included. Alice handed me the panties and I slid them on, followed by the matching bra. She pulled out a beautiful, green knee-length Versace dress from the bag. Bella helped me keep my balance as Alice slid the dress on. Once the dress was on and adjusted to Alice's liking, she helped me put the sandals on.

Once I was dressed, we began our descent downstairs to the dining room where Esme had breakfast ready. I took my seat and looked at the food on the plate in front of me; eggs, bacon and hash browns. I picked up my fork and pushed at the eggs; all of the food smelled really good, but I didn't really have an appetite. I was too nervous about what would happen.

"Is something wrong with the food?" Esme asked me. I looked at her and shook my head.

I felt like I was being ridiculous. "No, of course not. It's just… I'm not really hungry." I replied. She nodded her head in understanding and I caught Charlie looking at me worriedly. "I'm fine, dad. I'll be back to myself once this is all over." But deep in my heart, I knew I was lying. If it really was my mother's body I was going to identify, I wouldn't be myself from this day forward.

I did manage to eat a little bit of my breakfast, just a couple bits of eggs and hash browns. I promised Esme that by dinner time, I would be fine. She nodded her head and we all grabbed our jackets so we could leave. Charlie and I followed the rest of the family into the large garage. Charlie gave Carlisle the address of the police department before he joined me and Bella at Edward's car. I saw Carlisle putting the directions into the GPS system added to the dash of his car. When he was finished he came over to me and Bella. Rose, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper got into Rose's BMW; Carlisle and Esme were in Carlisle's Mercedes; and Edward, Bella, Charlie, and I got into Edward's Volvo. All of the cars were facing the now open garage doors, and they all peeled out of it at the same time. Eventually, all three of the cars straightened into a single line, with Carlisle leading us.

I watched the scenery pass us as we made our way to Seattle. It was cloudy the entire way, and I noticed that there really wasn't much to see. I closed my eyes and set my head against the headrest and relaxed myself.

~*~*~*~*~

I opened my eyes when I felt Charlie shaking my shoulder gently. Edward opened my door for me and helped me out. I looked at the ominous looking building in front of us; the Seattle Police Department. The others got out of their cars and joined us on the sidewalk. Charlie put his arm around me and we walked into the police station with the others of our family following us.

When we were inside, Charlie led me over to an information desk. The female police officer behind the desk looked up at all of us. "Can I help you?" she asked. The others stood behind us, keeping quiet and talking amongst themselves.

"Yes, ma'am. I called last night about the body found in the alleyway." The woman nodded and stood up. "I brought my daughter up here to identify the body." The woman nodded her head got the attention of one of the other officers passing.

The officer stopped and looked at the girl. "What's up, Stacy?"

"These people are here to identify the body that they found last night." She answered. The guy nodded and motioned for us to follow him. We fell in step behind him and he led us down to the morgue area. When we got down there, a group of people were gathered, and a family of three were walking out of the room. We got behind the last group in line, and began our wait.

We waited for an hour an forty-five minutes before we were ready to go in and view the body. I heard the door we came through open and the click of heels against the tile. "Don't tell me to calm down!" a female voice spoke. I heard the officer calling for the woman to wait, but she refused. "Don't tell me to wait!" she cried, flying past us. I saw the flash of auburn hair as the woman passed me and I felt her cashmere coat hit against my side. The woman stood in front of us as the officer went to her.

"Ma'am, these people have been waiting for a while! They have the right to identify the body first." The young officer spoke.

All of us watched as the woman's shoulders tensed. "I don't care…" she spoke. Her voice immediately struck a chord in me.

I paid attention to her facial features when she turned her head to look at the officer. "MOM!" Bella put her arm on my arm and the Cullens and Dad looked at me. The woman turned to face me, and I was relieved to see that it really was my Mom. I pushed my way past Alice and Jasper who were in front and ran over to her, practically jumping on her.

"CRISTALYN!" she wrapped her arms around me and tears were already flowing down her cheeks. "Oh, sweetie! Oh, thank goodness! I was so worried about you!" she said, kissing my forehead. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as she cried over my safety. She looked up and noticed Charlie and the Cullens standing there.

Turning my head, I saw Dad and the Cullens watching. "Thank you, Charlie." Mom said, her voice softening. He nodded his head and the family that was inside the room finally walked out. I looked at mom curiously, would she still want to try and identify the body? "I should see if it's anyone I know." I nodded my head; it was always like her to try and help out in any way she could. I looked at dad and he motioned for me to go with her, I nodded my head. The officer motioned for us to follow him and we walked in the room, shutting the door behind us.

I saw the Cullens and Dad through the glass of the sound-proof window. I nodded at them, with Bella nodding back at me. I turned my head back to face the officer and Mom. The officer pulled the cover back and set it over the corpse's chest. My mother let out a terrible shriek and collapsed to her knees. I looked at the corpse and immediately recognized the face; it was my step-dad. I felt the hot tears rushing down my cheeks again, and I kneeled down next to my Mom, wrapping my arms around her. She clutched onto me like she thought that I was going to disappear next.

"Ma'am…" the officer spoke, kneeling near us. "Is this a relative?" My mother let out another agonized cry and clutched me tighter.

I looked at the officer, my eyes overflowing and answered for her. "He's… my… step-dad." The officer nodded and stood up, grabbing the clipboard on the side of the body tray.

"His name?"

"Mark… Li." My mother sobbed out. Carefully, I got both of us to our feet and we stood watching the officer.

The officer wrote my step-father's name on the papers and then signed them. "Since you are the family… would you like to know the COD?" My mother didn't look like she could answer, so I nodded my head. "Apparently he was bled out. There are two tiny puncture marks on his neck." My mother looked at him.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

I knew what that meant; a vampire had killed my step-dad. The police wouldn't have an explanation and if they did, all they would say was that it looked like a two-pronged serving fork had been the weapon. Not wanting to have suspicion cast on me, I looked at him with inquiry.

The officer looked at the second paper on the clipboard. "Unfortunately we don't know the details of what happened. It looks like a two pointed knife or fork-like object could be the weapon. Also, there were no traces of blood in the alleyway we recovered the body from, so most likely it was the dump site."

I stood there, looking at the pale white face of my step-dad and knew that a small piece of me had died. Mark had been there for me since Charlie was not; but I didn't direct any animosity toward Charlie for living so far away. Mark had taught me how to ride my bike, how to roller skate, how to swim; I'd miss him like crazy. But it was my mother who had it worse; he was her other half and things would never be the same for her either.

I turned my mother toward the door. "I'm sorry for your loss." The officer spoke, covering the body back up. I nodded and led my mother to the door, opening it and walking out with her. I removed my arm to shut the door behind us and then I put it back around her. Charlie and the Cullens came over to us when we were out of the room. "You all right, Eva?" Dad asked. Mom didn't answer and I looked over at her; I was worried for her.

"It was… d—Mark." I told him. He nodded his head and we all walked back up to where we'd entered from. I noticed my mother's two editors waiting at the door, and I walked toward them. Their eyes widened as they saw us and they rushed over to us. "It was Mark." I repeated to them. Their eyes filled with sympathy and they wrapped their arms around my mother, leading her outside. I watched the two shuffle my mother outside and I stood where I was. It immediately hit me why they were here; and why my mother was too.

The others were by me a couple seconds. "Who are they?" Rose asked.

I glared at the entrance, filled with anger that they'd hurried my mother out of the building. "My mother's editors." I answered. I began walking out the door. "And they piss me off!" When I got outside I saw them getting into the limo; I heard the others right behind me.

I grabbed the limo door, preventing it from closing. The editor with the blonde hair, I think her name is Colleen, looked at me with wide surprise filled eyes. "How dare you!" I demanded. She looked at me dumb-founded. I heard Charlie and the Cullens stopping behind me. I saw the brown haired editor, Sasha I think, look up from consoling my mother inside the car.

"Excuse me?" Colleen asked me, sounding offended. I felt myself becoming enraged and I heard Jasper mutter something to the rest of them.

I clenched my hands and ignored the urge to punch her in her face. "How dare you!" I repeated. "You knew, didn't you!? You were the one who found him in the alleyway and called the cops! You made my mother come down here so she could have a freaking meltdown!" I shot at her. Her eyes looked like they snapped fire and in an instant she turned hostile.

"Don't go accusing me of anything! You're just a spoiled little rich girl who's upset because her mother doesn't want her travelling with her for the next three months!" she hissed.

I let my anger get the better of me and I launched myself at her, punching her in the face and pushing her to the ground. I felt hand and arms trying to restrain me, but I was too wild at the moment to be tamed. I slammed Colleen's head into the pavement and punched her again. I saw my mother and Sasha get out of the limo, Sasha coming to help Colleen. I was on top of Colleen, with my fist raised when I saw Sasha stop near us. She leaned down to grab me and I turned my head toward her leg, biting her. Sasha cried out in pain and stumbled away from me. I punched Colleen once more and then my mother's surprised voice called out to me.

"Lyn, stop it!" I stopped immediately, my fist in the air and looked up at her. There were drying tear tracks on her cheeks. I felt three sets of hands touch my arms and pull me to my feet. My mother looked at Colleen, her eyes flashing steel and fire. "You knew Mark was dead? You found his body?"

Colleen had blood dripping from cuts on her face and a bruise was already forming on her cheek. "You told me that Lyn called you and the line went dead! You told me that she was in the Seattle area, and you got worried for her safety! You LIED to me!!" Mom cried. Colleen carefully got to her feet and stood off with my mother. "You told me that it was probably my daughter lying on that table in there! You never told me it was my husband!"

"Where'd you learn to punch like that?" Emmett whispered. I smirked and answered him, "Just watch."

Colleen wiped the blood away from her nose and glared at my mother. "At least it's better than having little miss spoiled princess with us on the tour! She always holds you back from everything! You dropped that extravaganza ball last year because she didn't want you to! You don't need her approval for your life!" I tensed and clenched my hand into a fist. I felt three sets of hands back on my shoulders and I stood where I was. My mother glared at her and her eyes softened on me.

"My daughter has NEVER held me back! She's the reason I started writing, and she's the reason I'm where I am today!" she seethed at Colleen, taking a step toward her. "The reason I dropped the extravaganza ball last year was because she was sick and I wasn't going to leave her or have her out on the road while she had a viral infection!"

Colleen narrowed her eyes at my mother. "You see!? She's holding you back! You could be so much more popular if you kept with all the balls, book launches, etcetera!"

My mother was near Colleen now and I watched as she reared her fist back and punched Colleen straight in the nose. Colleen grabbed her nose and began swearing, while my Mom looked quite content with herself. Sasha stood behind my mother, just glaring at Colleen. "You're fired, Colleen!" she stated, Colleen looking at her with wide eyes. Sasha crossed her arms and smirked at Colleen.

"You can't do this to me!" Colleen cried.

My mother smiled triumphantly. "I can, and I did! Oh, and by the way, you won't be working for any other publisher any time soon."

Colleen looked at my mother, a look of disbelief on her face. "You don't know that!" Sasha smiled and pulled a tape recorder out of her pocket.

"I think it's hard to deny the evidence on this recorder, Colleen." Colleen looked pissed off and stormed off down the sidewalk.

I looked at Sasha sheepishly. "Sorry about the leg. I thought you were helping blondie bimbo out." She laughed as Mom walked over to me. She lightly slapped my arm and I smiled. She hugged me and I wrapped my arms around her. "I'm sorry about Mark, mom." She smiled sadly.

"I guess I have a funeral to arrange now…" she cut off and I saw the pain in her eyes. She let go of me and walked over to Sasha. "We better be getting back to the publishers. We have something to let them hear." I nodded my head and watched Sasha get in the limo.

I kissed my mom on the cheek and she kissed my forehead. She looked behind me at Charlie. "Thanks again, Charlie. I love you, sweetie. I'll email you." She said to both of us and going to limo, getting in. I waved and Charlie nodded. She shut the door and the limo took off down the street.

Feeling a little bit better than what I had felt that morning, I looked at Charlie. "I'm kind of hungry now." I said, causing everyone to look at me. Seeing everyone's similar looks of 'how can you think of food at a time like this?' I began to laugh.

**So it didn't turn out to be her mother or a random stranger; instead, it was her step-dad. She knows that it was a vampire who killed him, but where is this vampire and when will it kill next? And who is the person who followed her in the forest behind Charlie's house and in the forest near the Cullen house? Next chapter coming soon! Reviews are welcome!**


	8. Chapter 7

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Lyn discovered that the body found in the alleyway was her step-dad. One of her mother's editors was the one who found his body, and made her mother go identify it; which made a giant fiasco ensue.

Chapter 7

The week that followed us was tinted with sadness; the burying of my beloved step-dad. Of course, Dad and the Cullens came with us; Bella said that I shouldn't have to go through this obstacle alone. The days following my step-father's burial seemed to get better; Mom spent a couple of days with me in Forks. The day she left, she had tears in her eyes and she cried about wanting me to go on tour with her. I convinced her that I wanted to stay with Charlie, so I could make up for the three years I missed and to spend time with my sister. She smiled and nodded her head, kissed my cheek, and then walked to the limo that was waiting for her. I had waved until the limo was out of sight, and then I went back into Charlie's house.

As I was shutting the front door, a flash of red caught my attention and I looked across the street. A boy, probably my age, was standing in the trees with his eyes directly set upon me. The red vest he was wearing over his black shirt was what had caught my attention, I realized. I jumped a foot in the air when I felt someone grab my shoulder, "AHH!" Rose was standing behind me, her hand outstretched and eyes slightly wide. I grabbed my chest and exhaled sharply. "Please don't do that again, Rose." I shut the door and began to walk toward the living room.

"Who was that outside?" she asked me, following me into the room. I sat down on the couch next to Charlie as she took a seat next to Emmett. The current conversation stopped and they all looked at me.

I felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know." I answered. I felt a million eyes boring into me and I looked around at everyone in the room quickly. "I honestly don't know. It's just some kid."

"Lyn, I think you should stay with the Cullens for a while." Charlie told me. I turned to look at him, shocked.

For a moment, I couldn't even think of anything to say to him. But somehow I found the way to speak again. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Charlie looked at me like it was obvious. "Lyn, whoever killed your step-dad could probably come after you, too. I think it would be best if you stayed with the Cullens for right now. They can protect you better than I can." He told me, using his best authoritive voice. I absent-mindedly nodded my head.

I found myself back at the Cullen house at nine o'clock. Alice had demanded on the way home that we have a "slumber party" to make me feel more welcome. I was hoping that the other girls would tell her no, but they didn't; in fact, they all agreed for it, even Esme said that it would be a good idea. When we got out of the cars inside the garage, I stood near Bella holding my overnight bags. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett laughed and went inside the house, wishing me luck on surviving their wives slumber party. I groaned and followed after Carlisle; I heard Alice and the other three women making a plan. I entered the house and went into the living room, sitting down on the couch next to Emmett, my bags near the staircase.

Carlisle had gone upstairs and the other three males were sitting in the living room, watching a football game. I was actually starting to get into the game when the four women entered the house. I heard rustling around in the kitchen and heard footsteps approaching the living room. I turned to see Bella walking upstairs and Alice entering the room.

"Esme and Rose are getting snacks, and Bella's getting movies for us to watch." Alice spoke to me. I turned my attention back to the game on the TV while the three guys snickered. "Come on. Let's go get you ready for our slumber party."

I watched as one of the Pittsburgh Steeler players made a touchdown. Emmett and I let out whoops of joy at this action. "Such a barbaric sport…" Alice muttered. Edward and Jasper glared at Emmett and I, they obviously weren't Steeler fans. Emmett and I high fived one another and shared a laugh together. "Come on, Lyn. Let's go get ready!" Alice repeated.

"Um… Alice, I'm really into this game. Can we start the slumber party when it's over?" I asked. The whole house rang with laughter at my comment, and I glared at the three guys in the room with me. "What?"

Jasper pointed and I followed his point to see Alice standing in place, fire lapping at her eyes. "Cristalyn Eleyn, get your butt off the couch and come upstairs with me this instant or I'll drag you up those stairs!" she threatened. I gulped, having a feeling that she wasn't kidding.

"You don't try and negotiate with Alice when she's got her heart set on a slumber party." Emmett told me. His eyes never left the TV screen, "Just ask Bella."

All the way from upstairs I heard Bella snarl, "Bite me, Emmett!" Edward laughed and continued to watch the game as well.

Emmett chuckled and responded to my sister. "Sorry, Bella! Your skin is too chalky! Plus you're not my blood type!"

"You like a specific blood type?" I asked which elicited groans from Alice, Edward, and Jasper.

Alice rubbed her temples. "Emmett, I swear if you say it---"

"—Blood type Rose!" he laughed. I heard laughing from the kitchen and upstairs, but only groaning filled the living room. I knew I should have shut my mouth when I had the chance, but now it was too late. Alice was still glaring daggers at me, so I got to my feet and walked upstairs with her following behind me; I guess she had a vision of me making a run for it. She instructed me to go toward my room and I walked to it, entering it.

The room that awaited me didn't even look like the room that I had spent almost a month in. The bed was still there, but against the opposite wall was an enormous entertainment stand. Carlisle was inside the room, helping Bella hook up the DVD player and the Nintendo Wii from downstairs. Alice went into the closet and I sat down on the bed, watching Carlisle and Bella. After a couple of minutes, Carlisle announced that everything was hooked up and left us girls. Alice walked out of the closet holding an outfit that I deemed worthy of being pajamas. I laughed excitedly and grabbed the outfit from her hands, running out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. I shut the door and locked it, and began to undress.

Apparently, Alice understood that I liked to be tom-boyish with my PJs. She had handed me a pair of hunter green boy shorts and a matching tank top, the outfit was completed by a pair of hunter green slippers. I dressed in the PJs quickly, grabbed my clothes from the floor, and then left the bathroom. I re-entered the room and dropped my dirty clothes in the hamper. I saw that Alice and Bella were already in their pajamas, too. Alice was wearing a pair of black boy shorts and a matching spaghetti strap shirt with slippers. Bella was wearing a pair of light blue boy shorts with a matching tank top and slippers. "You guys look hot." I told them, making them laugh.

There was a knock on the door and I turned to see Renesemee standing in the doorway. "Granny Esme told me that you were having a slumber party. Can I join in?" she asked. I nodded my head and motioned for her to enter.

"Sure. I guess this is strictly a girls' only thing. No guys allowed!" I laughed. Renesemee was wearing a pair of white cotton capris and a blue shirt that read 'High Maintenance' with white slippers. She sat down near Bella and we sat talking for a while. Rose and Esme entered ten minutes later with three platters of goodies, all which were for me and Renesemee. Rose was wearing a pair of red boy shorts and a spaghetti strap shirt with slippers.

Esme looked at all of us, taking in our apparel. "You girls look lovely. Have fun!" she said, walking toward the door.

Everyone nodded their head except for me. "Won't you join us, Esme?" I saw Renesemee nod her head in agreement and Esme smiled.

"I'd love to, dear. But Carlisle's helping me finish my blueprints. You girls have fun and if you need anything let me know." She excused herself and shut the door behind her.

Bella got to her feet again and walked over to the massive collection of DVDs on the entertainment stand. "Which movie first?" she asked.

"I think you should let Nessie and Lyn pick one out." Alice spoke. Bella nodded her and Renesemee and I got to our feet and walked over to the stand. I watched my niece start on one side of the collection, so I started on the other side. Our eyes met in the middle, settling on the cliché vampire movie, 'The Lost Boys'. She nodded at me and I plucked it out from in between the others.

"Here we go!" we stated together. Bella looked at the movie and laughed. She took the movie out and stuck it in the DVD player. And so our slumber party began.

By the time we were finished with our sixth movie, I was feeling drowsy. I heard Alice speaking to Rose and Bella, but I was too tired. I closed my eyes and let myself float into happy unconsciousness.

"You're beautiful…" I heard a familiar voice whisper, so lowly I thought I hadn't heard it. My eyes fluttered open and I saw the boy from earlier yesterday sitting on the edge of my bed. As I began to become aware of my surroundings, I blinked my eyes. I kept my eyes closed for a moment and then opened them quickly; he was gone. I sat up quickly, looking around my room. I saw that the double-door windows to the room were wide open.

Panic immediately set in and I jumped out of the bed. I ran to the door and threw it open. As I was running toward the stairs I didn't see Jasper coming up them with the others on his heels. I collided into him and he caught my arm to steady me.

"Lyn, what's wrong?" Bella asked, coming up beside him. "Jasper told us that you were panicking and we were coming to check on you. What happened?"

I tried forming incoherent thoughts into sentences, but it was hard at the moment. I felt a wave of peace come over me and I was immediately able to make sentences in my head. I smiled at Jasper. "Thanks you." I told him, he nodded his head. I turned my attention back to my sister. "Someone was in my room!" I finally stated.

**Lyn is staying with the Cullens for the time being. Who's the guy who got into her room? Could it be he's the one who killed her step-dad? Find out in the next chapter, coming soon! Reviews are always welcome!**


	9. Chapter 8

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Lyn woke up to find a strange boy sitting on the bed near her. Who is he?

Chapter 8

I saw all of them tense up and led them into my room. I hadn't touched anything so everything was like it had been when I became fully cognizant of my surroundings. The window-doors were still open and Edward and Jasper went toward them. Bella, Alice, and Rose followed me over to the bed. I heard two more sets of feet approaching and a moment later Carlisle and Esme were in the room with us.

"What's happened?" Esme asked concerned.

Emmett was looking around the rest of the windows, sniffing them. "Someone got in." he stated, continuing to do what he was.

I heard Esme's sharp intake of breath, and I saw an enraged look pass over her face. "Someone came into my house!?" she asked angrily. All of the boys nodded their heads and she turned around, stomping down the stairs angrily. Carlisle nodded at the three boys with a stern expression on his face, and then followed after his wife.

"I just panicked when I woke up and saw him sitting there." I stated, looking at the floor. I felt their eyes on me in an instant and I felt their gazes boring into my head.

I heard a shuffle of feet so I raised my head. Jasper was standing in front of me. "He? As in a male?" I nodded my head and his expression became dark. "Was it the same person you saw outside of Charlie's house?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, it wasn't the man. This was a boy… my age, maybe." Bella looked at me, as Edward and Emmett joined around us. "I saw him a couple days ago, though. It was the day mom left dad's house. He was standing in the trees like the man had."

Silence engulfed the room for a moment and I felt a sensation of dread starting to fill the pit of my stomach. "Will someone please say something? I'm not comfortable with silence like this… especially when it's my safety on the line!" they all looked at me at the same time.

"Lyn, that boy could probably be the one who killed your step-dad. He could've been trying to get your scent." Bella told me. I knew what that meant; Bella had told me all about the newborn vampire army that had come after her and the Cullens. "We'll take turns keeping guard when you go to sleep from now on." I nodded and walked over to the bed. They talked amongst themselves while I climbed back into bed and under the sheets. Everyone left the room a moment later except for Alice; which meant she got first watch. She walked to the window-doors and shut them.

She flipped the lock on one of them, and I shut my eyes. Moments later, I was fast asleep.

For the next two weeks I immersed myself in filling out college applications. Bella helped me of course and not long after that, about three weeks later, I started getting letters. I had no more encounters with the strange boy who had somehow gotten into the house. Esme had installed burglar alarms, and boy did they work! Despite all the commotion going on around me, I felt oddly at peace. It was like the possible vampire attackers didn't exist; but I knew I couldn't be ignorant of this forever.

It's been almost four months since I moved in with the Cullens; Carlisle had informed Charlie of the situation, and he had demanded that I live with the Cullens temporarily. When I asked Charlie where he was staying he merely told me that he had someone on the Quileute reservation that was letting him stay there. I didn't argue any further with him about wanting to leave, I was beginning to feel like this place was my home. Esme didn't mind another mouth to feed; in fact, if anything she seemed more enthusiastic about making my stay permanent.

I sat on the couch watching Monster Garage with Rose when Alice danced into the living room with a handful of letters. Emmett and Jasper were in the middle of another complicated chess game with their multiple boards and pieces; Carlisle and Esme were upstairs; and Edward and Bella were at their cottage with Renesemee and Jake. It had taken Nessie some time to warm to me, but eventually we became close. She had declared that it was fun having another aunt like Auntie Alice; I had laughed and we'd gone off to watch movies.

I didn't pay any attention to Alice, keeping my focus on the program on the TV. She stopped near the couch and I watched the mechanic take a carburetor out of the mustang he was working on. I felt a heavy weight on my lap and looked down to see all the letters she'd been holding, scattered on my lap. "They're all for you!" she stated happily and skipped out of the room. Rose snorted and grabbed a couple of them off my lap.

It had taken Rose a while to warm up to the idea of a human living in the household, but now they all considered me an official Cullen family member. Emmett had even jokingly suggested I change my last name to Cullen, making me and him burst into hysterics together. I grabbed a couple and looked at the envelopes; USC, Duke, and Tulane University in Louisiana. "Wow. You're a genius." Rose joked, holding the three envelopes up to me so I could see their senders; Dartmouth, UCLA, and UWF. "Which one are you gonna choose?" she asked. I grabbed a couple more and looked at their senders, finally finding one close to Forks.

Alice entered the room a second later. "Oh, this one just came." She dropped a big manila envelope on my lap and then sat down.

I looked at it, picking it up with my right hand which had the Duke envelope in it. "How about this local college? I only have to attend it for the first two years and then I can transfer out." They nodded their heads and I dropped all the envelopes I'd been holding. I saw Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme enter the room and sit down near me.

"Which college is it from?" Esme asked.

"A local college, probably in Port Angeles. She said she'll transfer out after two years and go to a university." Alice answered. I saw them nod simultaneously. I ripped at the top flap and reached inside. I felt a bunch of papers and pulled a stack out, skimming through them. The top sheet of paper was a letter of acceptance and I went to the next page. My mouth dropped open and I felt my heart stop beating; and apparently everyone else did too because I felt a ton of hands on me at once.

"Oh.. my… god…" I choked out, staring at the paper.

Rose tried to look at the paper. "What's wrong?" she asked.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of the paper in front of me. "OH… MY… GOD!!" I squealed happily. Emmett looked at me like I'd gone crazy, while everyone else looked at me amused. I showed the paper to Rose and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?" she asked, shocked.

I squealed again and showed it to Alice and Jasper. Jasper's eyes widened like Rose's, but Alice just looked smug. It was at that moment that I realized she'd had a vision about this, but I was too ecstatic at the moment to let her rain on my parade. I showed the letter to Emmett next to let it sink in as to why I was so happy. He laughed and hugged me tightly, and I moved on to show Carlisle and Esme. They smiled at me and I squealed like a delighted little child.

The local college was accepting my application and offering me a full-time scholarship! My mind was reeling, everything was happening so fast! I was jumping off the walls by the time Edward, Bella, Nessie, and Jake entered. I ran over to them and showed them my acceptance letter and the scholarship award they'd sent. Edward, Jake, and Nessie congratulated me and hugged me. Bella jumped up and down with me while I kept my squealing up.

I excused myself for a moment, grabbing my phone, and went outside to call Charlie and let him know the good news. Once I told him, he congratulated me and told me that he'd take me out to celebrate on his next day off and I agreed. After I hung up with him, I called my mom's cell and let her know. As I was hanging up my phone I looked to the driveway that led to this house; I saw the boy standing in the driveway.

Fear and panic slammed into me, but then it dissipated and was replaced by wonder and curiosity. I walked toward him and he began to walk into the forest, so I followed. "Wait!" I called. He stopped for a moment, as if he was listening to me, but then continued to walk in deeper. Soon I began to realize where we were, the boulder was a few feet from us and he stopped at the edge of the first one, where I'd fallen three months ago. I stopped behind him and waited for him.

A couple moments passed before he turned to look at me. "You're beautiful…" he spoke. I was taken aback for a moment, but was suddenly reminded of the night he'd broken into my bedroom.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

He chuckled, "I guess you wouldn't remember me. It's been almost four years since we last saw each other." He pushed a piece of his blonde hair behind his left ear. I saw the glint of the silver hoop hanging from it, and I felt like I was floating away from myself.

"_I'll never let anyone hurt you." The soft gaze in his green eyes told me that he was being sincere. He was my best friend, but now he was more than that; now I could call him my boyfriend. "I promise, Lyn. I won't let anyone lay a finger on you!" I smiled at him as we leaned forward and our lips met._

"_I know. You'd never let anyone touch me, and I'm glad that I've got you." I told him. He tucked a piece of his blonde hair behind his left ear and looked at me with a loving expression written in his eyes. His silver hoop earring glinted in the sunlight, "I love you."_

"_I love you, too, Lyn."_

I slowly remembered where I was and snapped back to reality. The teenager standing in front of me was the boy I had loved more than anything in the world. When we were fourteen we'd promised to be each other's everything; and he had fulfilled his promise until his parents had chosen to move across seas to Greece for his dad's new job at a hospital there. My eyes began to fill with tears as I stood there looking at the boy who had been my guard since elementary school; each time I'd been picked on, he'd gotten into a fight with whoever had said something to me.

During our eighth grade year of middle school, he had asked me out and he'd gotten my step-dad's permission; something about him being able to protect me when the time presented itself. My heart fluttered as I looked into his eyes; they were no longer a beautiful green, they were the golden brown color that my sister and family had.

"Riley?" I choked out.

**Lyn has a full scholarship to a local college! And now she knows who the boy who broke into her bedroom is? But what could his presence mean? Find out in the next chapter! Reviews are always welcome!**


	10. Chapter 9

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Thank you all for reviewing the story this far. Some of you were surprised about the name of the so-called mystery boy. I wanted to let all of you know that his name is purely coincidental; my story is set after Breaking Dawn, and none of the villainous nomads from the other books are in this story. I just really like the name Riley, so I thought I'd give the mystery boy that name. Anyway, read on and enjoy!

Lyn got a full paid for scholarship from a college in Port Angeles; and she also figured out who the mystery boy is. But what could his presence mean?

Chapter 9

I stood rooted to the spot, not believing my eyes; my ex-boyfriend, Riley, was standing in front of me. His no longer green eyes held me captivated, and I couldn't help but gasp at the color they were now. What was he doing in Forks? How did he know that's where I was? A million questions flew through my mind in a rush. He stood staring at me with concern and adoration shimmering in his golden brown eyes.

"How did you—" I was cut off when he took a step back, as if afraid. "What's wrong?" his demeanor changed and he became tense. Just like I had done back home, I read him like a book; something was making him uncomfortable, and it was behind me. I turned my head and saw the Cullens standing there.

Carlisle and Esme were even with them this time. I saw Bella's eyes settle on Riley, and I saw how they were all tense too. I heard a footstep behind me and glanced at Riley to see him backing away slowly. "You don't belong here. This is claimed territory, please leave." Carlisle spoke. I heard a couple of leaves crunch and I knew that Riley was obliging. A million emotions flew through my body, and I finally settled for loneliness. I heard Jasper's sharp intake of breath, but I didn't care.

I turned my back toward my family and went toward Riley. "Lyn, don't get too close to him! He's a vampire!" I shrugged my shoulders, already having realized that. Just as he was fixing to jump across to the other boulder, I grabbed his hand making him stop. He flinched when I grabbed his hand, but didn't move. I pulled on his shoulder, making him turn to face me, and I looked into his eyes; even though they weren't the beautiful shade of green that I had been used to seeing, I couldn't help but feel the love I'd had for him.

"I don't think they want me here." He told me. I ignored what he'd said and touched his pale, cold cheek. "Lyn, I should go. They don't want me here." Coming to a conclusion all on my own, and hoping that if Alice had seen it she wouldn't tell anyone, I pulled his face down to mine and kissed him.

I heard the gasps and sharp intakes of breath from behind me and couldn't help but smile as I kissed Riley. His arms wrapped around me and even though his body wasn't heated, I reveled in the coolness. Eventually we split apart, my need for oxygen taking over and I gulped at the air happily. Though Riley was now a vampire, his kisses were still wonderful. I grabbed his hand and held onto it as I turned to face my family.

Everyone wore the same looks of surprise, but Bella looked like her eyes were going to bug out of her head. I looked down at the ground and then back up at them. "I'm sorry. That was… inappropriate of me." I spoke. The expressions disappeared off of their faces and they all looked stoic. "I am very sorry. He's not a danger to us, I promise."

Edward raked a glance over Riley and I felt Riley stiffen. "How do you know that, Lyn? He's an unknown vampire."

"He's her boyfriend." Alice spoke up from behind the group. They all turned to look at Alice. I looked at Alice with wide eyes, knowing that she'd seen a vision beforehand. I smiled sheepishly at her and she nodded slightly. "What Lyn is telling us is the truth. He won't hurt her; you saw how in control of himself he was. I doubt he'd able to lay a finger on her; it's basically a repeat of Edward and Bella."

I saw Jasper nod at that comment and incline his head to me. "I felt her loneliness when you told him to leave, Carlisle. He was upset, as well. Her loneliness disappeared as soon as she… kissed him." all of their heads turned to face me, and I stood in front of Riley.

Carlisle looked to Esme and I saw the approving glance and nod she gave him. He turned to look at Riley and I who were standing at least twenty feet away from them. "He may stay with us. However, we do not hunt humans. We hunt animals instead." He told me and Riley. I nodded my head and turned to look at Riley, who smiled at me. "I think it would be best if Edward and I took him out to hunt for the first time."

I felt Riley's arms tighten around me. "I already know how to hunt on animals. I've been doing it since I was turned; I didn't want to feel like a killer so I stayed in the forests and hunted. I started moving around when I made sure that I could handle myself around humans." He spoke. I turned to look at him and saw the truth shining in his dark eyes.

"How long has it been since you were turned?" Bella asked him curiously.

Riley made an unsure face, probably thinking of the answer. "Probably about three years ago." He told us. My eyes widened as I looked at him; he'd been turned after a year of living overseas. How horrible! "My family lived in Louisiana, so I grew up with Lyn. We were best friends—"

"—and then began dating." My sister interjected.

Riley nodded his head and continued. "My father is an ER doctor, and he ended up getting a job offer from a hospital in Greece. He accepted and we moved over there. We'd only lived there for about a year and a half. My dad forgot some paperwork at home, so I was bringing it to him. I was at my car in the parking lot, had the key in the lock, and then… it's all blank. I woke up and when I looked at a newspaper I found out it'd been almost a week since I'd went to the hospital." I listened to what he was telling us.

"While I was flipping through the paper, I came across my name in the obituaries. It took me a couple of days for me to realize what had happened. So I ran into a forest that borders the town over from where we'd lived. I always kept up with the time by reading the newspaper. It took me almost a year to teach myself how to act around humans. Once I was sure I could handle being around them, I left the country and came back. I went to Lyn's house in Louisiana but heard her mom on the phone with her asking about France. I kept a close eye on the house, waiting for Lyn to come back. When she did, I heard her say something about staying with her dad here in Forks. So I just followed her here." The oxygen that I was breathing got caught in my throat as I was inhaling, but I began breathing again. It hurt to know about the pain he'd experienced; maybe his father shouldn't have accepted that job offer.

Carlisle nodded his head. "Well, you are more than welcome to stay with us. As long as you don't hunt humans or hurt Lyn. I don't think her sister would appreciate you hurting her." Bella nodded her head in agreement with Carlisle's words. They all turned and began to run back to the house. I looked at him and couldn't help but pull his head back down to mine for another kiss. When we pulled away from our kiss, he looked at me.

"I missed you so much!" I cried, finally letting my tears flow. He wrapped me in his arms tightly as I sobbed into his chest. "I didn't think you'd ever come back! It… scared me!" I felt him put his head on top of mine and inhale deeply.

I felt the smile as he kissed my head. "I would never have left you. I made you a promise and I'm here to fulfill that promise!" he told me. I heard him inhale again and wondered why he was doing so. Vampires didn't need to breath. "You still smell the same; like chicory coffee and beignets." I laughed, remembering the first time he'd told me what I smelt like.

"How can you think that I still smell the same?" I asked, looking at him as I wiped my eyes. He loosened his hold on me and looked at me with amusement written in his expression.

He laughed and I giggled. "We lived in New Orleans, Lyn! It's chicory coffee and beignets capital of the world." I laughed and took his hand in mine again.

"I think we should get back to the house before they think anything funky." I told him. Riley nodded his head and we began our walk back to the house. When we got into view of the house, I saw Charlie's cruiser in the driveway. "Oh, man! Could he have any worse timing!?" I groaned. Riley looked at me, confusion etched on his face.

"Who are you talking about, baby?" he asked. I pointed at the police cruiser. He stopped walking, making me look at him and stop too.

I saw the fear in his eyes and I wondered why. "What's wrong? Riley, are you okay?" he nodded his head and I explained to him. "My father is the chief of police here in Forks. He already knows that vampires exist. Bella had to tell him after she had Nessie."

He looked at me as we began walking again. "Who's Nessie?" I laughed and twirled around.

"Nessie is my wonderful and beautiful niece. Bella got pregnant while she was on her honeymoon. She died while having Nessie, but Edward fulfilled his promise to her and turned her." He nodded his head as we got closer to the porch. I twirled around a couple more times until he swept me into his arms and we spun around the around. I laughed, remembering the good times we'd had before now; even though he was a vampire now, he was still my Riley and I was damned if I'd lose him again.

Once we stopped acting like kids we walked up and onto the porch where Alice and Jasper were standing. "What's wrong?" I asked them.

Alice and Jasper smirked at me. "You're truly happy? With a vampire? Even if you're a human?" I felt Riley tense beside me. I nodded my head at both of them.

"Ever since we were kids I've known deep down that Riley and I are meant for one another. And nothing is going to change that!" I answered them, putting my hands on my hips and giving them a stern look. They both smiled at me and Riley moved behind me to put his arms around my waist.

Alice looked at Jasper with a smile on her face and he nodded. I watched Jasper turn and walk into the house, shutting the door behind him. "Well, then I give you both my congratulations! However, will you be able to live with him when your family will also consist of werewolves?" she asked. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, stunned a little.

I knew I wore a confused look on my face. Riley stood behind me with his arms wound around my waist and she giggled. Alice turned and walked into the house a second later. "What's the supposed to mean!? Tell me! ALICE!" I heard her giggling from inside.

**Lyn has finally gotten the consent of Carlisle and Esme for Riley to stay with them, yay! But what is Alice talking about? Find out in the next chapter! Reviews are always welcome!**


	11. Chapter 10

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Riley told the story of how he came to be a vampire. Alice made a vague comment, leaving Lyn racking her brain for a possible answer. What's the meaning behind Alice's question?

Chapter 10

I looked at Riley as he was looking down on me with a confused look on his face. I turned my attention back to what Alice had just asked me. _Werewolves in the family? _ I thought. _What is Alice talking about?_ Letting my curiosity get the better of me, I began to walk forward. Riley unwound his arms from my waist and I grabbed his hand.

I opened the front door and led him in, taking his jacket from him and hanging it on the coat rack. I heard voices from the living room and walked in there. Charlie was sitting on the couch in front of the Cullens' flatscreen with a dark-haired woman beside him. Bella stopped talking as I walked in with Riley.

Charlie's head turned and his eyes found me; then he looked and saw Riley. "Dad," I started. "Please don't try interrogating him. Mom did when we started going out four years ago." Alice danced by us and led us to the couch on the other side of the room. I sat in between Riley and Alice, while Jasper was sitting on the arm of the couch beside her. Charlie looked at the woman and smiled; she smiled back and acted as if she were wringing her hands. "What's up? What are you doing here?" I asked him.

A look of uneasiness flashed across his face, but disappeared quickly. The woman put her hand in his and he took a deep breath. "Lyn, this is Sue." We shook hands and then I sat quietly, waiting for dad to continue. "We've actually been spending a lot of time together since Harry died, and—"

"She's the friend you have on the Quileute reservation!" I realized.

Charlie nodded his head; Sue blushed a little and he continued. The front door opened and in walked two teenagers who had to be my age. They sat down in two empty chairs as dad kept going. "Sue and I have been… dating, in a sense. Last night I… asked her to marry me."

The room was completely silent, and if you would have dropped a pin you'd have heard it. After a couple minutes people found their voices and they congratulated dad and Sue. It took me a minute, but I finally found my voice.

"Congratulations…" I echoed after everyone else. Charlie and Sue smiled as they looked from me to the two who had entered the house moments ago. We all looked at them; the boy had a big grin on his face, while the girl was completely stoic.

The boy looked at my sister. "Hey, Bells, now we're gonna be related!" he seemed excited about it; how odd. Did he even know, or have an inkling, that my sister and in-laws were vampires? I'd like to see his reaction if he ever found out. I heard a chuckle and looked over toward Edward to see him laughing to himself. He stopped and looked at Bella, kissing her forehead.

"There's another thing you should know, Lyn." Dad said, turning his face to look at me. I nodded my head, paying attention to him. "Seth and Leah… are part of the Quileute pack. Well, they don't really run with Sam anymore… their part of Jacob's pack." Everyone looked at me to see my reaction. I felt my jaw drop and just looked from the two newcomers to Alice; this is what she had meant! _She was trying to see my reaction first! She… she knew that Charlie had proposed to her! Oohh… Alice, you are in so much trouble!!_ I thought to myself. I heard Edward laughing to himself again. I shut my mouth and glared in Alice's direction; she smiled sweetly at me while I glared murderously at her.

Turning my attention back to my dad and his fiancé, I smiled. "That's fine. Since knowing this stuff doesn't bother me. It's just another secret to keep." Charlie nodded his head at me and got to his feet. I watched him help Sue to her feet, while Seth and Leah got up from their chairs. "Leaving already?"

"Yeah. We're gonna go back home and relax; it's been chaos running around and telling people." We all laughed at his statement. His gaze settled on Riley again. "I don't know you, but I will say one thing to you. You hurt my baby and you'll have more trouble than the Cullens coming after you!" my jaw dropped again and I felt Riley stiffen beside me. Charlie and Sue said their goodbyes and walked out the door with Seth and Leah following them.

I groaned as I slumped into the couch. "Just ignore the old guy… half the time I don't think he realizes what he's saying." I mumbled to my boyfriend. Bella laughed and the atmosphere in the room seemed to lighten up. Riley wrapped an arm around me and I watched Jasper do the same to Alice. "So… do we have any plans for tonight?" I asked looking at Rose.

"I suppose we could always go to Seattle and shop. Alice has been complaining about wanting to get new clothes." Rose answered, looking at her nails. She was sitting on Emmett's lap while he used the remote to flip the TV on and flip through channels.

Carlisle and Esme took seats on the couch where dad and Sue had been sitting. "Well, Carlisle and I are going to be packing soon. Only a couple more weeks until we leave."

I looked to Esme. "If I may? Where are you going?" Esme smiled as she looked at Carlisle and then back to me.

"We're going to my island. It's our anniversary soon, and we go to my island every year." I nodded my head. It sounded like a great getaway place. Esme and Carlisle got to their feet and disappeared at the staircase. I grabbed Riley's hand as I got to my feet and headed toward the stairs.

I heard snickering from the living room as we left it. A moment later Bella called out to me as we were halfway up the stairs. "Lyn, don't do anything!" I laughed to myself as I led Riley to my room. When we were inside, I shut the door and locked it; not wanting to be spied on. Riley walked around the room and I sat on the bed. He stopped when he got to the entertainment stand that was still in there.

"Still like to keep up with civilization?" he laughed. I nodded my head as he looked at the CDs near the stereo. He pulled one off the shelf and looked at it. "A mixed CD? I didn't take them as mixed CDs type of people."

I shook my head while I laughed again. "No, that's mine. That's actually the same mixed CD you gave me for our first anniversary; I still listen to it." He turned the stereo on and put the CD in the disc changer. It loaded the CD and it began to play a soft classical melody; the CD was a combination of our favorite classical tunes. He walked over to me and held out his hand; I took it and he wrapped his other arm around my waist and we began to dance.

By the middle of the song we were waltzing around the room. This is what I had missed the most, just being with him and acting carefree, like there were no worries. If I had been paying attention I probably would have seen the knob to the door jiggling or heard the sounds of the lock being picked, but I didn't. I was too captivated by the boy in front of me to hear or pay attention to anything except for him.

He twirled me around gracefully and a couple moments later, the song was over. We turned our heads, hearing applause, and saw the Cullens in the doorway. I blushed and covered my face. Riley shut off the stereo, while Bella and the others walked in. "That was very entertaining. It took Bella until she was changed to learn to dance gracefully." Emmett said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

Bella punched Emmett in the arm as Riley rejoined us. She gave me a stern look, "Didn't I tell you not to do anything?"

"We were dancing! How could we possibly do anything while trying to waltz?" I rebuked. Edward and Emmett laughed, and Edward whispered something in her ear. I turned and walked over to the window and looking out at the surrounding forest. A shimmer from something on the ground caught my attention.

Looking down toward the lawn, I saw the man I'd seen almost four months ago. He had dark hair, was probably Emmett's height and build; he was wearing a black shirt with a denim jacket over it, a pair of khaki cargo pants, and a pair of hiking sneakers. Looked up at the window where I was. My eyes locked with his and he smirked at me, revealing a pair of sharp fangs. He licked his lips while I stared at him. I took in a sharp breath and took a step back from the window.

I felt hands on my shoulders and turned to find Alice and Jasper standing there. "What's wrong?" Jasper asked in his southern drawl. I took a shaky step forward while the others crowded around us. I pointed out the window and they all looked; the man stayed where he was for a second and then dashed off into the woods. My knees felt like jelly and I fell down. They all crowded around me, asking me if I was okay.

Looking at Bella and Edward, I exhaled slowly. I felt a wave of serenity wash through me and I was able to breathe a little better. "Bella… that was the man…" I admitted. They all looked at me curiously.

"What man, Lyn?" she asked.

I let out another breath. "That was the man I told you about! That morning you guys were over at the house and I went outside to get the paper. I told you I saw a man standing in the trees across the street from the house. That was him!"

_He licked his lips at me… I'm his next target!_

**So now the mystery man has shown his face again; and this time Lyn saw his features. What could his presence mean, and what does he want with her? Find out in the next chapter! Reviews are always welcome!**


	12. Chapter 11

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Lyn saw the man who was hiding in the trees in front of Charlie's house. And… did he _lick _his lips at her? Will she be his next target?

Chapter 11

For the following week I was kept under house arrest by my family. Today, though, I got lucky; it was another rare, sunny day and the most of the Cullens were out hunting. Riley had even decided to go with them. The only ones here were Bella and Esme, who were currently looking at the fabricated baby books of Nessie's. There were at least twenty books piled up on the dining room table, all of them recording Renesemee's birth up to present day. I was looking out the front window, looking for any of the Cullens or Riley.

I saw a body move quickly through the trees and I opened the front door as quietly as I could. Knowing that it was wrong to sneak out and also that I'd get skinned alive by Bella and Esme, I still did it. I took off toward the trees and followed after the figure as fast as I could.

I stopped in a small clearing; the smell of water came to me. This clearing looked similar to the one I'd come across in the forest behind dad's house, the only difference was that there were no trees that were collapsed on one another. Walking further, I stopped at the edge of a creek; the person I had been following was no longer in my sight.

Feeling as if I was trapped, I turned and began running in the direction I'd come from. As I ran I heard my name being shouted from many different voices. I knew that something was following me; I could hear the branches snapping behind me. Hoping and praying that one of my family members was near me, I began to call out to them.

"Alice! Jasper! Edward! Emmett! Rose! Carlisle! Help—" I was cut off as something hit my leg, causing me to fall to the ground. My leg began to throb as my head made contact with the forest floor. My head began to throb along with my leg and I felt something hot sliding down my forehead.

Lifting a shaky hand, I brought it to my forehead to wipe away whatever was there. When I brought my hand back into view, my fears were confirmed when I saw my fingers coated with my blood. I looked at my leg and saw a deep cut in it, almost where I'd cut it open four months ago.

My head snapped up and my eyes made contact with his; the man I'd seen. His eyes were dark crimson and I watched him lick his lips. Within a second he was by my side. He wiped at my forehead and I watched, horrified, as he licked my blood from his index finger. "Mmm… waiting for you and waiting to taste your blood was quite a good idea." He spoke in strange accent I didn't recognize.

"All those girls didn't smell as appealing as you… but they helped sate my thirst until today." I stared at him, blood gushing from my leg and sliding down my forehead, with a terrified expression on my face. I pushed myself backwards, away from him while he chuckled at me.

He was by my side in a flash; yet again. He grabbed me and pushed my head to the side. "It'll be over soon. Just one tiny, little bite and you'll join your stepfather…" his breath was on my neck and I felt teeth on my bare skin. Tears were coating my cheeks. _Someone help me! Anybody! _I anticipated the coming bite and heard a snarl rip from his lips.

**OMG, a cliffie! Sorry about the short chapter, but I should have the next one up in a couple of days! Is Lyn going to be okay?! Will she be saved or will she become this nomad's next meal? Find out in the next chapter! Reviews are always welcome!**


	13. Chapter 12

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Lyn followed after someone she saw darting through the woods; but got caught by the mysterious man she saw, and is on the verge of losing her life. What will happen now?

Chapter 12

I opened my eyes, which I hadn't even realized were closed; the strange vampire who was about to plunge his fangs into my neck had stopped and was looking at something behind me. Before I could look, I was snatched backwards and the man was pulled away from me. It was at that moment I realized that Emmett and Jasper were holding the man tightly and the person who had snatched me from his grasp was Bella. Carlisle, Esme, Riley, Rose, Alice and Edward stood around us acting as a shield. I looked at my sister with tears running down my face and she lifted me into her arms effortlessly.

In a couple of minutes we were back inside the house. Once I was sitting on the couch, Bella began walking toward the hall. I grabbed her hand frantically and shook my head as the waterworks continued. She looked at me worriedly and sat down next to me. Bella wrapped her arms around me and I cried on her shoulder.

"You're okay now…" she spoke as she rubbed my back. "Carlisle and the others will take care of him, Lyn. I promise."

I heard the front door open and then close a couple minutes later. "That's how you should have reacted. That is a human's true reaction, Bella." A velvet voice spoke; Edward. I heard some footsteps and came to the conclusion that they were all back. Bella, I knew, had to be glaring at him; the tension was thick around me.

"I… I can't… breathe!" I wheezed. Bella let me go, instructing me to put my head between my legs, but Carlisle stopped her. "She's lost a lot of blood. I need to get her cuts cleaned and bandaged." He spoke.

I watched as Alice appeared with a black doctor's bag. Carlisle knelt in front of me as Esme entered the room with a couple of wet rags. Bella took one and began dabbing at my forehead as Carlisle took another one and wiped at my leg. Everyone left the room except for Bella, Alice, Jasper, and Carlisle. Looking over at Alice I took notice of how she was looking at Jasper.

As soon as Carlisle took out the needle and sutures, my breath hitched; I hated needles! Bella smiled at me and politely excused herself. I felt a wave of peace pass over me and knew that was why Jasper was staying; and Alice was staying to keep an eye on her husband, to make sure he didn't lose control.

My leg stung repeatedly as Carlisle pierced my skin with the needle until I was completely closed up. As soon as he was finished, he put gauze bandages over all the sutures and then went for my forehead. "It looks like you'll only need… ten at most." He told me. I nodded my head as he began to suture me up. A couple minutes later he was finished. Alice beamed a bright smile and took Jasper's hand. I nodded as Jasper inclined his head at me, and then turned to look at Carlisle.

The needle and sutures were now inside the bag that was being zipped shut. Bella and the others, except for Alice and Jasper, re-entered the living room. Rose handed me a warm rag, which I took and used to wipe my face where my tears had trailed down. When I was finished she took it and exited the room. I looked at my family as they took their seats around the room. Bella, I noticed, looked even paler than she normally did and I wondered why. Riley sat beside me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you feeling better?" Esme asked in a warm, gentle tone.

I nodded my head as I responded, "Yes. Thank you, Carlisle, for sewing me up again." The front door opened and slammed shut as Jacob and Nessie ran in.

"What happened?" Jacob demanded.

"Is Auntie Lyn okay?" my niece asked.

I turned to look at them. "I'm fine! I'm still alive!" Jacob's look turned icy. "What happened?" he repeated.

Carlisle cleared his throat, gaining our attention. "There was a nomad vampire who was following Lyn. He almost bit her; we're lucky that Alice had the vision."

"What happened to the nomad?" Nessie asked. I was wondering the same thing and interested in the answer. But when I saw their solemn expressions, my heart fluttered. Emmett was the one to answer, and my suspicions were confirmed.

"He got away."

**Another cliffie! The story is getting ready to wrap up! What will happen now? Find out in the next chapter! Reviews are always welcome!**


	14. Epilogue

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

Emmett dropped the bomb that the nomad got away. What will happen now that Lyn knows this?

Epilogue

Without being told I locked myself up in the house, spending my time reading and surfing the internet; my mother had become so busy with her tour that she barely had time to email me and complain about my lack of updates. Even though I'd only been locked up in the house for a week, showing absolutely no want to go out, I was starting to go crazy on the inside. I was afraid to go outside for the simple fact that we didn't know where the mysterious nomad had gone, but internally I was dying to go out into the cloudy grey daylight. Bella and I had become closer due to my experience. Bella, Alice, and Rose had tried to coax me into a night on the town, but I vehemently refused.

After having locked myself up for almost a month, Carlisle came to my room to speak with me. "Cristalyn," he began in a stern yet gentle voice. "You need to start going outside again." I shook my head. "Lyn, there's been no sign of the nomad since that day. You'll be starting college soon, and the girls want to take you shopping." I felt shocked as he made that statement. Running to my calendar on the wall next to the entertainment stand, I looked for the day classes started at the Port Angeles college I'd be attending. I saw the block that I'd surrounded with tons of multi-colored Sharpie markers.

"Oh my god!" I squeaked; Carlisle had been right. Classes started in less than a week, and I realized something else as I looked at the calendar. "I've been locked up in here, of my own volition, for almost two and a half months?!" I saw Carlisle nodding his head as I turned to face him again. Making my mind up, I smiled at Carlisle and felt more like myself. "Thank you, Carlisle. For reminding me who I really am."

"Anytime." Carlisle followed me out of my room as I went down the stairs and into the hallway. I could see everyone playing video games on Charlie's flatscreen; even Riley was laughing and playing games with them. Esme was standing in the hall as Carlisle and I descended.

Carlisle stopped long enough to kiss Esme on the cheek and then walked toward the living room. Esme smiled at me and hugged me. "Glad to hear you're feeling more like yourself." She kissed my cheek and released me. She led me into the living room and over to my sister.

Alice and Rose, who were playing Mario Kart, paused their game and looked my way. When they looked at me so did everyone else. "Hi." I said sheepishly. Emmett and the other guys laughed at my greeting. I punched my boyfriend's arm lightly and glared playfully at him. I looked at my sister who was standing near Alice and Rose. "I was actually wondering if we could take that shopping trip. School starts in less than a week, and I was thinking that I might need some new clothes."

Alice's melodic laugh filled my ears as she grabbed my hand, and her purse from off the couch. Laughter filled the house as Alice, Rose, Bella and I walked out of the house and into the garage. One of the garage doors opened as we piled into Alice's Porsche 911 Turbo. Kevin Rudolph's "Let It Rock" blasted through the speakers of the car as Alice peeled out of the garage going from zero to sixty in two seconds.

**I hope you all liked the story! I really had a blast writing my first Twilight fic, and it was with your guys' encouragement that helped me finish. I see a possible sequel in the makes; after all, we don't know what happened to the mysterious nomad who was after Lyn. All we do know is that he got away. Reviews are always welcome! Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it!**


	15. Author's Note!

Meetings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight, except my own. I also do not own anything from the movie. So please don't sue!

AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Hey everybody! I know how much everyone hates author's notes, but I thought I should do one and give everyone an update. I know it's been a while since I posted the last chapter for the story up. I've been running a poll on my profile page to see how many of you wanted a sequel for this story; so far only one person has voted, lol. But it's all good, because I've begun to write the sequel, and I've already posted up the prologue of the sequel, it's called **Repetition**. Hope to see some reviews!

Thanks,

TAYLORandTOBYfreak88


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